Puppy Problems
by MullerLowLife
Summary: Yet another one-off story based on "Beat The Clock". Little Michael Raccoon wants his parents to get him a puppy for his birthday, and after doing some thinking, Ralph and Melissa decide to get him one. But is Michael really prepared to handle the responsibilities of owning a pet? Find out what happens...
1. Finding A New Friend

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **Well, it's been a little while since I wrote Chapter 5 of Melissa's story "Growing Up!", and alas, it will probably be a while longer before I get back to that story as I am unfortunately a little bit stuck coming up with ideas for the next few chapters. As a writer, I have to say that this year overall has been a disappointment for me compared to last year and the year before that. (Just in case you were wondering...I wrote this during the latter part of last year...took a long time for my proofreader to get this back to me!) Unlike the previous two years, it's become apparent that I'm not going to complete a major story this year, and most of what I've written has been one-off stories. I'm finding myself becoming more and more of a sporadic writer. On the positive side, it increases the chances that my stories will turn out better as a whole in the long run, plus these one-offs are fun to write and they do help me branch out a bit more as a writer, allowing me to practice different things in case I want to use them in future stories. So, here's another little one-off from yours truly!

Anyways, you'll remember that in "Beat the Clock", Ralph and Melissa became the parents of little Michael Raccoon. I've already written a couple of one-offs starring a young Michael with his family...and here's another such one-off. In future sequels to "Beat the Clock", there will be a lot of focus on Ralph, Melissa and Michael and the family bond that they have together, and stories like these help me get that bond between them down ahead of time so I can be prepared for the future. In this particular story, Michael experiences a desire 95% of young boys experience at some point in their young life: the desire to have his very own puppy. Ralph and Melissa end up getting their son one for his (and Ralph's) birthday, feeling that their child has proven himself responsible enough to take care of a pet. However, it turns out to be more challenging than Michael really thought it would be, and he learns a rather sad lesson on being more responsible...Unlike my previous one-offs starring Michael, this'll be a two-part story...for my own convenience! (Plus I think it will make this story easier to read than having 25,000 words all in one go...) Just one little note-Michael in this story turns seven years old, so this would be taking place in 2004 (as he was born in 1997 in "Beat the Clock").

Anyways, I hope you'll enjoy...

**"Puppy Problems"**

**CHAPTER ONE: Finding A New Friend**

It's a warm, muggy, early September afternoon in the Evergreen Forest. Summer is almost over, and fall will soon arrive. Most of the Forest's residents will be eager to see a reprieve from the summer heat, as this has been one of the hottest summers in recent memory.

Summer's end also means the start of a new school year for the children of the Forest. School has recently started up again, and all the kids are back to their usual routines-making new friends and learning as much as they can. Today is a Monday, which would normally be a school day for the Forest's children. However, today happens to be Canadian Labour Day, a day to honor the achievements of Canada's working men and women. Not only does that mean that most of the Forest's businesses are closed for the day, it also means a day out of school for the kids; which they greatly appreciate as they always look forward to having a long weekend to spend more time with their friends and families.

And that was why little Michael Raccoon was out walking through the Forest with his mother, Melissa. The _Evergreen Standard _was closed in observance of the holiday, and while Ralph had gone to visit Bert and Maxie for the day, Melissa had decided to take her son with her for a jog through the Forest. She always liked going for a nice little jog as it was a great way to keep in shape, and it was always nice to spend a little bit of quality time with her son.

"Hey, Mommy!" Michael called out as he raced after his mother. "Slow down, Mommy! I can't keep up!"

"Oh!" Melissa remarked as she slowed her pace, realizing she had been jogging a bit too far ahead of her son. "Sorry, Mikey. I didn't realize you were having a hard time keeping up with me..."

"Well, you're bigger than me, Mom!" Michael replied. "I can't run as fast as you..." Seeing as Michael was a fairly stocky child, he had a hard time running very fast.

"Oh, you're not doing that bad, honey," Melissa warmly smiled as she encouraged her little kit. "You'll get better as you get older."

"Really?" Michael curiously asked, not entirely sure if he should believe his mother. He didn't think he'd ever get any good at running.

"Really," Melissa nodded as she patted her son on the head. It was at this moment she noticed that the sky had started to grow a bit darker and the wind had begun to pick up a little. "Ooh, I think there's a storm coming, Mikey..."

"How do you know, Mom?" Michael wondered.

"Well, my knees are starting to ache," his mother explained. "When I was your age, my father-your grandfather-used to tell me that when his knees ached, a storm was coming."

"Oh...Mommy, there won't be any lightning, will there?" Michael worriedly asked, as he was terrified of lightning. He had started to overcome his fear, but even so, the loud booms of thunder still scared him. He didn't want to be caught out in the middle of a thunderstorm, especially not after what had happened on his family's camping trip earlier that summer...

"Well, I don't know," Melissa shrugged. She was a bit surprised, Bert hadn't forecast any rain for today. But then again, Bert didn't exactly have the best track record when it came to the weather. "But maybe we should end on home before the storm hits."

"Okay, Mom," Michael smiled as he and his mother headed back for the Raccoondominium. He was eager to head home anyways; his little legs were already hurting from running so much today.

As mother and son headed home, Michael soon heard a familiar voice calling out for him.

"Hi there, Mikey!" Michael eagerly ran towards the voice.

"Hello, Gary!" Michael enthusiastically greeted his friend. It was Gary Kneitel, a young hedgehog who was in the same grade as Michael. He was one of Michael's closer friends in school; the two of them got along quite well.

At that moment, the German Shepherd dog that Gary was walking leaped up and licked Michael in the face, causing the kit to giggle. "Hehe!"

Melissa walked up to the two young kids at that moment. "Well, hello there, Gary," she smiled at the hedgehog. It was always nice to see one of Michael's little friends, seeing as he didn't have very many at school...

"Oh, hi, Mrs. Raccoon," Gary smiled as he waved at Melissa. "I was just out walking my dog."

"Hehe, stop it!" Michael giggled as the dog continued to lick his face. "Stop it!" At that moment, Gary yanked the German Shepherd back by its' leash.

"I didn't know you had a dog, Gary," Melissa remarked.

"Oh, this is my German Shepherd, Buddy," Gary smiled as he patted his dog on the head.

"When'd you get him?" Michael wondered.

"Oh, my Mom got him for me over the summer," the young hedgehog explained. "I asked my mother and she got him for me and told me to shut up and leave her alone..." he sighed, looking pretty sad. "I wish she'd spend more time with me..."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that, Gary," Melissa sympathized with the little hoglet. She knew that Gary, unlike her own son, was growing up in a broken and unhappy home. Gary was the son of Phillip and Ruby Kneitel; she'd gotten to know the couple a little better at a school play Michael and Gary had been in last school year. While Gary's father cared greatly about his son and wanted to see him succeed, his mother didn't have very much to do with her child at all. She didn't spend much time with Gary, rarely encouraged him or supported him, and often dumped gifts on him to keep him out of her fur. To add to that, the Kneitels, unlike Ralph and Melissa, did not have a very happy marriage. Ruby was physically and verbally abusive towards her husband; she drank a lot, frequently got into shouting matches with him, and even _threw _stuff at him. The last time Melissa saw Gary's parents, his father clearly sported bruises. Phillip Kneitel had actually written to Melissa's relationship advice column asking for help, but the advice she'd given hadn't seemed to work. "_I try my best to help as many couples as I can,_" she thought, "_but I guess some couples are beyond my help..._"

"Oh, it's alright," Gary sighed again. For a child growing up in an unhappy home, he seemed to be pretty upbeat.

"How old is he, Gary?" Michael asked his friend.

"Oh, about five months."

"Can he do any tricks?"

"Oh, he can do a few!" Gary exclaimed as he turned towards his dog. "C'mon, Buddy! Roll over!" Instantly, Buddy laid down and rolled over onto his back. Michael knelt down and rubbed the German Shepherd's belly, causing him to pant a little.

"Can he do anything else?" the young kit wondered.

"He sure can. Stand, Buddy!"

Instantly, Buddy got up and stood up on his back legs, licking Michael in the face once again, causing him to giggle.

"He sure is friendly, Gary!" Michael cheerfully smiled.

"Yeah, he is," Gary nodded. "He still goes to the bathroom on our floor sometimes, though..."

"Well, Gary, I'm sure he'll get better as he gets older," Melissa chimed in. She noticed the wind was blowing even harder and the sky was now nearly pitch black; the coming storm was almost here. "It's been nice seeing you Gary, but Mikey and I have to get going. We don't want to get caught out in the rain!"

"Oh, I understand. I'd better go back home too...Dad's not home yet," Gary replied. "I just hope Mom doesn't throw another beer bottle at Dad when he comes home..."

"Come along, Mikey," Melissa instructed her son. "Let's hurry home!"

"Okay, Mommy," Michael smiled as he waved goodbye to his friend. "Bye, Gary. See you at school tomorrow!"

"See you there, Mikey," Gary waved back.

As mother and son headed home, Michael couldn't help but think about dogs. It seemed almost everyone he knew at school had a pet of some kind; usually a dog. He'd always found himself fascinated by dogs, and he enjoyed spending a little time with his friend's new German Shepherd. In fact...he felt more than a little jealous of Gary. For quite a while, the little kit had wanted a dog of his own...it seemed like it would be a lot of hard work raising one, yes. But he thought it would be worth it to have his very own friendly companion...

"_My birthday is next week..._" Michael thought to himself. "_Maybe I should ask Mom tonight if she'll get me one for my birthday...?_"

* * *

><p>It was late in the evening at the Raccoondominium. By now, the storm had arrived and had struck the Evergreen Forest. It was raining heavily outside as torrents of water fell from the sky. Lightning bolts rapidly streaked across the sky, and loud booming thunder could be heard for miles around. But at least it was nice and dry in the safety of the Raccoondominum.<p>

The Raccoon family had recently eaten their dinner, and while Ralph was cleaning things up downstairs, Melissa was upstairs in Michael's bedroom, putting her little kit to bed for the night. But Michael didn't seem very sleepy, as he had a lot of questions for his mother.

"Mom, why isn't Gary's mom more like you?" Michael wondered. He never really understood why his friend's mother treated him so poorly. "He always tells me she never spends time with him. Why?"

"Well, sweetie..." Melissa tried to explain as she tucked the kit into bed. "I'm afraid not all mothers love their kids, Mikey."

"Why not?" It didn't really make much sense to his young mind for a mother to not love their child.

"I can't really explain, Mikey...some parents just don't love their kids," Melissa sighed. "You're a very lucky boy, honey...your father and I will _always _be here for you if you need us. Not every kid has parents like that."

"Oh..." The thought of his friend feeling unloved by his own mother made him feel sad, so he thought he'd discuss something more positive with Melissa. "Mom, did you get me what I asked for my birthday?" he wondered.

"Well, your father and I did go shopping yesterday-I'm sure you remember," she smiled at her son. "I think you'll like what I got you..."

"Can I open one of my presents ahead of time...?" Michael innocently asked. He was so eager for his birthday, he didn't want to wait a whole week to see what his parents had gotten him.

"No, sweetie. It's not your birthday yet," she chuckled.

"Aww, Mommy..." Michael groaned. He had been hoping she'd let him open one early.

"Don't fret, Mikey; it'll be worth the wait," she patted him on the head. "You did remember to get your father a gift this year, right? Your father asked me to ask if you remembered...and you know you two _do _have the same birthday..."

"Oh, I did, Mom!" Michael proudly beamed. "I bought something at our school's store Friday!"

"Oh, you did?" Melissa remarked. "What did you get him?"

"I can't tell you, Mommy! That's a secret!" Michael giggled happily.

"Well, I'm sure your father will be happy when your birthdays roll around," Melissa warmly smiled.

It was at this moment that Michael remembered what he had wanted to ask his mother. Visions of puppies playing danced through his young mind. Now was the perfect time to ask her...

"Mom?"

"Yes, honey?" Melissa continued to smile warmly at her little son.

"Mom, I know you went shopping for my birthday presents yesterday...but...I was wondering..." he stumbled a bit, as he was a bit nervous to ask her. What if she said "no" to him?

"Wondering what?" Melissa sounded a little confused. She wasn't sure what her son was trying to ask her.

"Mom...could you please get me...one more present...for my birthday?" Michael hopefully asked, his eyes innocently gazing into his mother's.

"Well..." she quickly thought aloud. "I suppose one more present couldn't hurt; as long as it's within reason. Tell me, honey, what would you like for your father and I to get you?"

"Mom...I want...a puppy!" the little kit beamed enthusiastically.

"A...puppy...?" Melissa was a bit taken aback; she hadn't been expecting her son to ask her for _that _sort of present. Then again, it wasn't _all _that big of a surprise to her. "_I know lots of little boys want to have their very own puppies sooner or later; I had a feeling he'd ask about this sooner or later,_" she thought to herself. "_Besides, he's always playing with other people's dogs and he always loves seeing TV programs with dogs in them..._"

"Yes, Mommy!" Michael continued to grin. "I've wanted one for a long time...I just _know _I'd be good with one! Can you please get me one...?" he hopefully asked.

Melissa was a bit on the fence when it came to getting her son a puppy. On the one hand, Michael was pretty responsible for a child his age. He'd always been willing to help out around the house any way he possibly could. On the other hand, she knew puppies required a _lot _of work. It would take a lot of time and energy to train a puppy, and she wasn't entirely sure her kit would be able to keep up with one.

"Well, Mikey...I don't know," she shrugged. "I just don't know..."

"But Mom...every dog I've met seems to like me! I know if we got a puppy, it would like me..."

"That's true, but..." Melissa struggled for words as she tried her best to explain things to her son. "You _do _know puppies require a lot of time, work, and effort, right?"

"I know," the kit nodded.

"You'll have to feed it when it gets hungry. You'll have to play when it wants to play. You'll have to teach it how to behave and be a good dog. And you'll have to take it outside and teach it how to use the bathroom so it doesn't make a mess on our floor," she explained. "It's a lot of responsibility, you know."

"I know that," Michael nodded again. "But Mommy...you've told me I'm a responsible boy. I always help you wash up dishes...I help you vacuum the house...I helped you in the garden last year when we picked all the vegetables for the harvest!"

"That is true," Melissa managed to smile. Michael certainly _was _a dependable little kit. "_He sure does take a lot after his father..._" she thought to herself. "I know you're more responsible than most children your age, but I just think it might be too much for you. A lot of people buy pets for their children and then they don't know what to do with them, and then they end up being either abandoned or put in the pound. I don't want to have to do that..."

"Mom, I _promise_ I'll take good care of my puppy if you get one for me..." he pleaded. "Please...?"

Melissa was in a difficult position; it was hard to say no to that adorable little face. "...Tell you what," she smiled at her son as she gently rubbed his furry head. "I'll talk this over with your father tonight, and then we'll see. How does that sound?"

"Okay, Mommy," Michael managed to crack a smile, though deep down he felt rather disappointed. He had a hunch his father was going to say no, and that would be that. "I understand..."

"Alright then. Now, you need to get your sleep, as you have school tomorrow, young man," she smiled as she leaned down and kissed her son's cheek. "Goodnight, my sweet little baby..."

"_Mom!_" Michael groaned upon hearing his mother call him that. He always felt embarrassed whenever his mother called him things like that. "I'm almost seven! You don't have to call me that!"

"But you _are _my baby, Michael," Melissa continued to warmly smile. "You're my only child, you know, and you're very special to me. You'll _always _be my little baby, no matter what."

"I know," Michael sighed. "But it's embarrassing when you call me that. You called me that at my school play last year and all the other kids made fun of me..."

"I didn't mean to embarrass you at your play, honey...I was just so proud to see you up on that stage," she explained.

"I'm a big kid now...you don't have to call me that!"

"Aww, you're not too big for me to tuck you in bed and kiss you goodnight, are you...?" Melissa wondered.

"Well, I, no...but..."

"And are you too big for Pikachu?" she pointed at the stuffed Pikachu plush doll that her son always slept with.

"No! I love Pikachu!" Michael protested.

"If it makes you feel any better, honey, I won't call you stuff like that in front of your friends," she patted him on the head again. "But remember, you'll always be my special little boy, no matter what."

"I know, Mommy..." Michael smiled as he hugged his mother. "I love you..."

"I love you too, Mikey," Melissa smiled. She was a bit worried that Michael might be too scared to sleep in his room tonight due to the thunderstorm outside. "Honey, are you sure it'll be okay for you to sleep in here tonight? I know how much thunder scares you..."

"No, I'll be fine, Mommy!" Michael gave her a confident smile. He had come to realize that as long as he was safe indoors, the lightning wouldn't hurt him.

"You sure, sweetie?" Melissa worried. "If you get too scared you can always come to sleep with your father and me..."

"I'll be okay, Mom!" Michael continued to beam. "Pikachu here will protect me!"

"Well...alright. Goodnight, my little cutie pie. Sweet dreams," she sweetly whispered as she headed for the door. "And remember, if you need me or your father, we'll be right downstairs as that's where we'll be sleeping tonight. Good night..." she trailed off as she slowly closed the door behind her.

As soon as his mother left his bedroom, he turned his attention towards his Pikachu plush doll. "Pikachu, do you think Mom and Dad will get me a puppy for my birthday?"

Pikachu didn't respond. It couldn't really, as it was only a simple plush doll and as it wasn't alive, it had no voice of its' own. Even if it _had _been alive, all it would have said it was its' own name, so it still wouldn't have been much help. But Michael seemed to be able to communicate with it...he _was _an imaginative young kit.

"You're right...they'll never get me one...I know Mom and Dad are going to tell me I can't have one tomorrow..." he sighed, sadly. He just _knew _he would never get to have one. "Good night, little buddy..." he yawned as he curled up with his plush doll and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Melissa slowly crept downstairs and entered her living room. There on the sofa was her husband, picking up a leather-bound book off their new coffee table. She slowly walked up to the sofa and sat down beside her husband, slowly scooting up next to him.<p>

"What are you looking at, dear?" Melissa asked out of curiosity, causing Ralph to jump with a start.

"Hey-Oh, it's you, honey," Ralph nervously chuckled.

"Did I startle you?" Melissa giggled a little.

"No, no-I just didn't hear you come down the stairs, that's all," he continued to chuckle. "Is Michael asleep?"

"I think so," his wife replied. "He didn't want to go to bed so early, but he has school tomorrow and he _is _a growing boy, after all..."

"He'll get to stay up later when he gets a little bit older," Ralph nodded. "You _did _remember to ask him if he got something for my birthday, right...?" he hopefully asked.

"Oh, Ralph," Melissa chuckled a bit at her husband's worries. She knew that he constantly worried that Michael wasn't as close with him as he was with her. "I did, and don't worry. He told me he got something for you at the school store. But you'll have to wait until your birthdays before you can see what it is..."

"Well, that's a relief!" Ralph managed to crack a smile. "I don't know, I just can't help but worry Michael will forget me in the long run..."

"Aw, Ralph, I'm sure that won't happen," Melissa gave a reassuring smile as she placed her paw on his shoulder. "You're his father, and he loves you and looks up to you. I'm sure he wouldn't forget you."

"Well, I hope you're right..." Ralph let out a heavy sigh.

"Now, can you tell me what book that is you're looking at, dear?" Melissa repeated her question.

"Oh! Ah, well, you know," Ralph sheepishly replied, "seeing as our little son's birthday is next week, it's got me feeling really sentimental and...Well, I just thought it would be nice to look through one of our old scrapbooks again."

"Mmm, that sounds like a nice idea," Melissa smiled sweetly. "It's always nice to take a look back and relive our memories of raising Michael when he was younger...Which book is that, by the way? We've got several of them..."

"This is the one that covers your pregnancy and Michael's first year of life," her husband informed her.

"Ah, there's a lot of good memories in there," Melissa fondly smiled. Some of her most beloved and treasured memories were contained within that scrapbook..."Well, why don't we take a quick look through it then?"

"Okay," Ralph said as he opened the scrapbook and they thumbed through the pages together, reliving the memories as they did so.

Presently they came to a picture of a six-months pregnant Melissa flashing a cute grin as she held up one of her ultrasound images in front of her swollen abdomen.

"Aw, I remember this," Melissa smiled. "Funny, we thought Michael was going to be a girl back then!"

"Oh yes," Ralph reminisced. "There's another good reason I don't trust doctors all that much..."

"Oh, c'mon, Ralph," Melissa chuckled. "Doctors aren't perfect. They make mistakes from time to time, just like you and I do..."

"Well, that's true," her husband nodded. "I still don't like them all that much, though..."

"Michael doesn't like going to the doctor, either," Melissa responded. "I remember when I took him for his flu shot he squirmed like crazy when they pulled out the needle...Huh, he must have got it from you!"

"It's a _guy _thing, Melissa," Ralph informed her.

A bemused Melissa shrugged and turned the page.

The couple flipped through several more pages, and eventually came to a picture of the couple giddily smiling in the kitchen taken just a couple of weeks before Michael had been born. In the photo, Ralph was giving his heavily pregnant wife a tender embrace from behind, and the two happy raccoons each had their paws placed lovingly on Melissa's bulging stomach.

"You know, it's funny, Ralph..." Melissa remarked. "We both look pretty happy in most of these pictures, but those nine months were actually pretty rough on us, weren't they?"

"Were they ever!" Ralph managed to laugh, remembering all the tough times Melissa's pregnancy had brought the couple. "I remember you were depressed quite often..."

"Well, it wasn't easy carrying a kid around inside me for nine months!" Melissa laughed as well. "But at least we went through that together."

"True, it was probably a lot easier for you having me around to help!" Ralph laughed again.

On the next page was a clipping of an article from an old issue of the _Evergreen Standard_, complete with the image of the proud parents in the hospital with their newly born child.

"_Why _did Bert have to do that?" Ralph groaned. "I told him _not _to put that story on the front page, and he went and did it anyways..."

"Aw, c'mon, Ralph," his wife replied. "It _was _a big news event in the Forest...The _Standard __is _our paper, you know; it would only make sense for an article about Michael's birth to be in there..." She couldn't help but beam remembering how she felt the day Michael was born. To her, it was an incredible feeling realizing she had become a mother...it was one of the greatest moments in her entire life.

"I know that," Ralph nodded. "I just didn't want it to take up almost the _whole_ first page...I thought it looked rather arrogant..."

"I don't think our readers minded; we got a lot of letters from our readers congratulating us, didn't we?"

"Yeah," Ralph sighed. "I just wish Bert hadn't gone and done that..."

They flipped through a few more pages, as they eventually came to a picture of a tired Melissa taking a nap on the couch, a two month old Michael fast asleep safely in her arms.

"Awwwww," Melissa gushed upon seeing that image. "How cute." Seeing all these photos from Michael's first year of life made Melissa feel quite warm and fuzzy inside...

"I took that picture, remember?" Ralph nudged her.

"Yes, you did," Melissa nodded. "It's one of my favorites. I keep a copy of it in my wallet, you know."

"I miss those times, honey," Ralph sighed.

"Yeah...me too..."

They flipped through the rest of the scrapbook, passing over photos of, among other things, Melissa nursing baby Michael with a warm smile on her face, an annoyed Ralph covered in baby food after Michael threw some on him, Michael giggling as Ralph tickled his chin, several photos of the couple caring for Michael when he had gotten severely ill, Michael's first steps, and finally, wrapping up at Michael's first birthday party.

"Aw, Michael's first birthday," Ralph sighed, feeling rather nostalgic. "I remember that like yesterday. Remember how George made the little cake for us, honey?"

"Oh, I do, I do, dear," Melissa nodded. "That was a very special day. I remember how glad I was considering he was so sick that I thought he wouldn't even get to see his first birthday!"

"I'm glad he did," Ralph smiled as he closed the scrapbook and placed it back on the coffee table. "Goodness. Did all that really happen seven years ago? It only seems like it was yesterday."

"I know," his wife agreed. "It seems like time has flown by so fast, hasn't it?"

"Sure has," Ralph agreed. "Our little son is growing up so fast. It seems like only yesterday he fit in the palms of our paws, and now he's about to be seven. Where did all the time go?"

That reminded Melissa of what she had been meaning to talk to her husband about. "Speaking of Michael growing up, sweetie," she piped up, "you remember we got Michael his birthday presents yesterday, right?"

"Of course I do, honey," Ralph nodded in reply. "He's pretty easy to shop for. He usually doesn't ask for much!"

"That's certainly true," she agreed. "But anyways, dear...While I was putting him to bed, Michael asked me if we could get him just one more present..."

"One more present? What did he ask for?"

"Well..." Melissa placed her finger on her chin. "He asked me if we could get him a puppy for his birthday."

"A...puppy?" Ralph was a bit taken aback at first, and it took him a few moments to respond and gather his composure. "Huh. Well, I guess that's not too big of a surprise, really. He's been fascinated every time he's seen a dog, be it on TV or in real life. I had a feeling he was going to ask about it eventually..."_  
><em>

"I kind of saw it coming too; I know most little boys want dogs sooner or later," Melissa added.

"Well..." Ralph thought aloud, "I guess it's a sign he's starting to grow up. He's reached the point where he wants a dog; it would be easier to get for him than some of the things he's asked for in the past."

"Oh, I know," Melissa nodded. "Remember when he was about three years old, he asked us if we could take him to the Island of Sodor to meet Thomas the Tank Engine and all his friends? The closest we could come to that was taking Michael for a ride on the Evergreen 504..."

"I remember," Ralph knowingly nodded, remembering the numerous times he had to sit through a _Thomas _videotape or DVD when his son was very little. While Melissa had found it to be a cute, innocent, and wholesome show, Ralph had never particularly cared for it; he found the idea of living steam locomotives a bit too ridiculous for his liking. But he had always sat through them to spend a little time with his son, especially since Michael got such a big kick out of them. He still couldn't get that theme song out of his head... "And then when he was four, he asked us to catch him a wild Pikachu..."

"Yes, and we had to get him his plush doll since there are no real Pikachu," Melissa smiled. "He still loves that thing so much."

"I remember how disappointed he was when we told him Pokemon aren't real..."

"Ah, anyways, Ralph," Melissa quickly got back to the subject at hand, "so my question is, do you think we should get Michael a puppy for his birthday?"

"Well...I'm not sure, honey," Ralph shrugged. "What do you think?"

"I'm not too sure myself. On the one hand, Michael is very responsible for a kid his age, but on the other hand, I worry it would be too much for him and something bad might happen to his puppy...I wouldn't want to see our son upset..."

"I remember when I was his age..." Ralph sighed as he remembered his own childhood. "I wanted a puppy too, but my mother wouldn't let me have one..."

"Why not, dear?" Melissa wondered.

"Well..."

Ralph's mind quickly flashed back to his childhood.

"_But why can't I have a puppy, Mom?_" a seven-year old Ralph asked his mother, Millie. "_You told me how responsible I am for a kid. You said you thought I would do a good job of taking care of one. Why can't I have one? Bert has one..._"

"_Ralphie__,_" Millie sighed, "_I would love to get you a puppy, but we can't because...I'm allergic to dogs._"

"_Allergic?_"

"_I can't stand dog hair, Ralphie; it makes me sick and makes me sneeze a lot. Your brother George had a puppy when he was about your age, but we had to give it away because I couldn't stop sneezing..._" Millie explained to her son.

"_So we can't have one because it will make you sick?_" little Ralph tearfully asked his mother.

"_I'm afraid so. I'm really sorry, honey..._"

Back in the present, Melissa patted her husband on the shoulder. "Aw, Ralph, that's too bad. I know you would have done a good job of raising a puppy when you were younger."

"Yeah, if only my mother hadn't been sick..." Ralph sighed.

"It's not her fault; she couldn't have helped it that she was allergic," Melissa reassured him. "You know, I wanted a puppy when I was little too, but I never got one..."

"You did?" Ralph raised his eyebrow.

"Yes, I did. But instead of a puppy, I ended up getting a cat."

"A cat?" Ralph was a bit surprised; he hadn't known that about Melissa. "I never knew you owned a cat..."

"Well, my father found it on our front doorstep and decided to let me keep it," she explained. "We didn't have it for very long, though...it was only a couple of years before he died of kidney failure."

"Oh..." Ralph replied. He could only imagine how upset his wife must have been when her cat died. "It's funny; I feel like I'm learning more new things about you every day, honey..."

"I feel the same way, dear," Melissa managed to crack a smile.

"You know..." Ralph thought aloud as they returned to the pressing matter they had been trying to discuss. "Michael _is _a pretty responsible kit, like you said. Doesn't he always help clean the dishes after dinner?"

"He sure does," Melissa proudly nodded.

"Doesn't he help you clean the house?"

"He sure does," Melissa repeated.

"And didn't he help us harvest the vegetables last year? I remember how excited he was when one of the tomatoes he picked himself won first place at the produce competition at the Fall Fair..."

"Oh, I remember that too! He was so happy that he had picked a prize winner..."

"You know, I'm thinking..." Ralph scratched his chin, "maybe it _would _be a good idea to get our son a puppy. He's already pretty responsible; but this could be a great way to teach him how to be more responsible."

"You know, you're right," Melissa agreed. "It could be the first big step on his path to adulthood: teaching him how to properly care for something. Raising a pet is a bit like raising a child. I would _love _to have grandchildren someday, and this could be a good bit of practice for him."

"I think so," Ralph nodded. "I have a feeling he won't have much trouble taking care of a dog..."

"So, are you saying you think we _should_ get Michael a puppy?" Melissa asked.

"That's what I'm saying, yes," her husband responded. "It'll make a great present for him, and I think he'll do a great job of looking after it. Were you about to say no, honey?"

"Actually, I was leaning towards 'yes' myself," Melissa smiled. "But I wanted to see what you would have to say, first. So, I guess it's settled then?"

"I suppose so," Ralph nodded.

It was official. Ralph and Melissa were going to get their little son a puppy for his birthday. But the only problem would be actually _finding _one...

* * *

><p>It was the next morning in the Evergreen Forest. The storm had passed during the night, and the sun was starting to shine throughout the Forest. It was time for most of the Forest denizens to open their eyes and begin a new day...<p>

At the Raccoondominum, Ralph and Melissa were curled up on the couch together, snuggled up beneath a blanket. Things were quite peaceful, but they weren't about to stay that way for long...

The couple's slumber was interrupted by someone rapidly shaking them awake.

"Mom! Dad! Wake up, wake up!" a voice shouted.

Ralph and Melissa stirred in their sleep as their eyes slowly opened. Sure enough, it was their son Michael who had woken them up.

"Good morning, Mikey..." Melissa let out a very loud yawn. "You're up bright and early!"

"Well, I _have _to be up bright and early," Michael smiled. "School starts in an hour!"

"Oh, that's right...Wow, we almost forgot about that," Ralph yawned as well; the couple had admittedly stayed up a little later than they normally did. They'd been so busy chatting about their son that they hadn't really noticed the time flying by. They hadn't really gotten much sleep..."Did you sleep well last night? I know you're not all that fond of thunderstorms..."

"Whenever I got scared I just put my head under my pillow," Michael replied. Even though he was still scared of lightning, he was slowly but surely starting to conquer his fear. "Are you two going to get up?"

"I guess I'd better get to work fixing you breakfast and your school lunch, huh?" Melissa remarked.

"Yes, please, Mommy. I've got to hurry if I want to catch the bus on time! It'll be here in half an hour!" Michael had started riding the bus to school this year, although he still walked home like he had in his previous school years.

"Well, alright," Melissa smiled as she got up and headed for the kitchen.

"I think he's going to be pleasantly surprised when his birthday rolls around," Ralph whispered in his wife's ear, remembering the conversation they had last night.

"I do too," Melissa smiled back at him.

Soon Michael had eaten his breakfast and he was ready to go to school for the day. But before he left, he remembered what his mother had told him last night. How she had said that she would discuss the subject of him getting a puppy with his father. Michael didn't get his hopes _too _high, but he still wanted to know whether or not they'd get him a puppy...

"Dad, did Mom talk to you about what I asked her last night?" Michael wondered.

"Yes, she did, son," Ralph nodded in confirmation. "She said you wanted to get a puppy for your birthday."

"Well, can I please have one, Dad?" he innocently asked. "Please?"

Ralph didn't want to spoil the surprise for his son. "Well, we're not sure, Mikey," Ralph shrugged. "On one hand, you're quite responsible for a kid your age. On the other hand, we're not sure you're quite ready to handle taking care of another living creature. It might be too much for even you to handle..."

"But Dad..." Michael pleaded, feeling rather saddened. That had been pretty much what he'd been expecting to hear his father say. "I _know _I'd do a good job taking care of a puppy if you get one! I _know _I will!"

"We're not entirely sure of that, son," Ralph rubbed his son's head, trying to reassure him. "But we'll see."

"_We'll see..._" Michael's ears drooped upon hearing that. He knew that meant his wish to have a puppy of his own was not going to come true anytime soon. He had learned that there was no use in begging and trying to plead with his parents for something they were not going to get him, so he didn't protest. "Okay, Dad, I understand."

Just at that moment, the sound of the school bus honking its' horn rang out through the Raccoondominium. "There's my bus!" Michael hollered out. He quickly grabbed his lunchbox and headed for the front door. "Bye Mom! Bye Dad! I gotta go!"

"Goodbye, honey," Melissa tenderly smiled as she leaned down and kissed her son's cheek. "Have a great day at school."

"Be good at school today, son," Ralph quickly patted his son on the head. "Don't get into any trouble!"

"I won't, Dad! See you later!" With that, Michael ran out the front door and quickly boarded the bus as it left to pick up the rest of the schoolchildren.

"I felt kind of bad seeing how upset he was when we told him we weren't sure whether or not we should get him a puppy..." Ralph sighed.

"Oh well, it's for the best," Melissa gave her usual reassuring smile. "We didn't want him to find out about his surprise, did we?"

"No, we didn't," Ralph nodded. "Alright, honey, so we're going to get our boy a puppy for his birthday. We're going to need to get some supplies for the pup. What are we going to need?"

"Well, for starters, we'll need some dog food," Melissa explained. "Puppies need to eat, after all! We'll also need to buy some snack treats."

"We might as well get food and water bowls as well," Ralph added. "We could put them in the kitchen. Speaking of the kitchen, it'll probably learn to beg for food in no time flat..."

"That's certainly true!" Melissa chuckled. "We should also get a leash for the puppy. Michael will have to take it for walks, and we don't want it wandering too far away from him..."

"Definitely," Ralph agreed. "What if the puppy has an accident on our floor?"

"We could buy some training pads for it, to give it a place other than our floor to use the bathroom until it's properly potty-trained," his wife remarked.

"Okay, but I don't think Willow's Store carries any training pads for dogs."

"We can go to the market in Spruceton, dear. I'm sure they'll have everything we need," Melissa smiled.

"Okay, that should cover it. There's just...one thing, honey..."

"What's that?"

"Here's the million dollar question: where exactly _are _we going to get Michael's puppy?" Ralph wondered aloud. "I don't think we know anyone off-hand who has any puppies."

"Oh, Ralph, don't you remember?" Melissa giggled. "You can check the ads section of the _Standard_. Lots of people place ads for pets in the back pages, don't you remember?"

"Aggggghhh, how did I forget about that?" Ralph groaned, feeling embarrassed. "The _Standard'_s my paper and I forgot all about the ads section. How could I have forgotten about that?"_  
><em>

"It's alright, dear," Melissa beamed. "You can check the ads at work. Speaking of work..." Melissa trailed off as she glanced aside at the clock on the wall. "I think we'd better go and get dressed. We're supposed to open the office up in about an hour and a half!"

"Sounds like a good plan to me," Ralph nodded as he let out a rather long sigh. Today seemed like it was going to be quite a long day..."Guess I'd better go take a shower..." It was at this very moment that a naughty idea crossed his mind. "Say, you want to join me in the shower, honey? It's been a while since we've done that..." Ralph managed a cheeky grin, a twinkle appearing in his eye.

Melissa hadn't been expecting her husband to suggest that idea, but it turned her on nonetheless. She always loved it when Ralph was spontaneous like this... "Ooh, that sounds like a fun idea, Ralph. I'd be happy to do that; I think we've got time for a little bit of excitement this morning...Plus it's a great way to save water," she purred as the couple headed upstairs arm in arm. It was sometimes nice to have a little bit of fun playing around before they went to work..

* * *

><p>It was later that afternoon at the <em>Evergreen Standard<em>'s office. Sure enough, it had been a pretty long day already, as it was another typical slow news day. Bert and Melissa were out on a field assignment together, leaving Ralph with only the company of the new employees he recently hired when he and Melissa had decided to expand their full-time staff beyond just three people the previous year, and the handful of college interns they were training who were hoping for careers here. They hadn't expanded much, as they still only had six people on their full-time staff, but even so, it still meant the work got done faster.

Ralph was looking through the classified ads people had sent in on his computer when suddenly he was interrupted from his thoughts.

"I got that story you wanted on Sneer Industries' latest expansion effort, sir," said one of the interns, a red wolf by the name of Tommy Thompson.

"Oh! Well, good job, Tommy. I didn't expect you to be back so fast with it!" Ralph managed to chuckle.

"It was no sweat, sir!" Tommy grinned. Ralph thought pretty highly of Tommy. He was a long-time loyal reader of the _Standard _and claimed have saved every single issue of the paper that had come out since he was 4 years old. He seemed eager to learn and was always on time with the articles he was assigned, plus he was rather polite. Ralph thought he had a good future at the _Standard_.

"You know, I see big things ahead of you here, Tommy. Keep up the good work," he complimented the intern.

"Well, I sure hope so, sir!" Tommy continued. "Ever since I was just a little pup I've always dreamed of working here someday!" With that, the wolf took his seat at his computer.

Ralph quickly went back to checking out the ads, hoping to maybe find a good dog for Michael in there. But nothing really seemed to catch his eye...

"Hmm..." Ralph muttered to himself. "Irish setters...Welsh corgis...Pomeranians...Scottish deerhounds...Borzois..." He couldn't help but shake his head. "I don't know if any of these puppies would make a good pet for Michael..."

But just then, he was quickly interrupted by the loud voice of the employee seated at the computer next to him. "Hey, Mr. R!"

"What do you want?" Ralph grumbled. It was Randy Ratliff, a muskrat who was one of the new hires he and Melissa had made last year. Randy had gone to school with his nephew Bentley (though he had been a couple grades behind his nephew) and he currently served as the _Standard_'s sports writer. While Ralph had to admit Randy _was _skilled and had a good work ethic, he wasn't entirely fond of him as he reminded him too much of Bert. Randy was nowhere near as imaginative as Bert, but he was nearly just as loud. It seemed like he had no indoor voice. Admittedly, Ralph hadn't wanted to hire him when they had been interviewing prospective new employees, but Melissa had liked his enthusiasm and had given him little choice but to hire him.

"Well, Mr. R," Randy enthusiastically exclaimed, "I hear that you're looking to buy your son a puppy for his birthday next week! Am I right?"

"What?!" Ralph choked out. He hadn't told anyone else that he was planning to buy his son a puppy. How on earth did _he _know? "Where did you hear that?"

"Ah, well, Mrs. R told me while you were in the bathroom earlier!" Randy chuckled.

Ralph groaned. He though he told Melissa to keep this between the two of them...But he quickly shrugged it off. "Well, what about it?"

"Well, you're in luck Mr. R! My father's planning to sell some puppies this week! I was gonna place the ad in the paper before the end of the day anyways, but I figured I'd go ahead and tell you about it!" the muskrat explained. Randy still lived with his parents even though he had just turned 24 years old. "_Well, at least he's making money and earning his keep, I suppose..._" Ralph thought to himself.

"I didn't know your father was a breeder, Randy," Ralph replied. He vaguely knew Randy's father Duane; he had been in Ralph's class during their school years. He didn't know the Ratliffs particularly well, though...

"Oh, my Dad's not a breeder! We just own three dogs; two females and one male. One of our females had a litter of puppies eight weeks ago, and we're gonna sell 'em!"

"What kind of dogs are they?" Ralph asked out of curiosity.

"Ah, they're Olde English Bulldogges!" Randy grinned. "I think that just might be the right kind of dog for your boy, Mr. R!"

Ralph wasn't entirely sure of that. He didn't really know too much about bulldogs. Before he bought a dog for Michael, he wanted to know something about the particular breed beforehand. He knew there were some breeds that would probably not make good pets for his son. He already knew he wasn't getting him a rottweiler, a doberman, or a pit bull..."What can you tell me about bulldogs, Randy?"

"Eh, what d'ya mean?"

"Before I can buy a dog for my son, I want to know more about the breed. You surely know more about bulldogs than I do. I've heard that they are very stubborn and hard-headed. Is that true?"

"Ah, well, they can be," Randy admitted. "But, it depends on the dog! Their mother was easy to train. She only had one accident on our floor and she never did it again afterwards!"

"Are they aggressive?" Ralph wondered. "I don't want to buy my son a dog that might tear his little ears off his head. My wife would let me _have it _if I bought our son a dog that put him in the hospital..."

"Oh, no, no!" the muskrat exclaimed. "Why, they're quite friendly, Mr. R! We've never had a problem with any of our bulldogs. They're very well behaved! They can be a little rough to play with, but they're great for your boy if he wants a dog that's not afraid to play a little rough, but not _too _rough..."

"Hmm..." Ralph still wasn't entirely sure if he should get his son a bulldog. "Is there anything else you can tell me about them, Randy?"

"Well, if you get one, I wouldn't let it get anywhere near the Evergreen Lake, the River, or any other deep water. They're not very good swimmers. They'll sink like a stone if you put 'em in deep water," Randy explained. "Also, they need lots of attention; you don't want to leave 'em alone as they're prone to getting bored and causing chaos! But believe me, Mr. R, they do make great pets! I've grown up around 'em all my life! I can tell you anything you want to know about 'em! I guarantee, your boy would love to have one!"

"Hmm..." Maybe getting a bulldog for his son wouldn't be such a bad idea. His son was more physically active than he had been at that age...maybe he would like having a dog that would challenge him physically. "How much are you selling them for?"

"Ah, we're selling them real cheap, Mr. R! My Dad's selling them for $400 apiece! That's a real bargain, believe me! I've seen people sell 'em for over $2500! You aren't gonna find too many good bargains like that."

"I don't know..." Ralph muttered aloud.

"You and your wife could come by next Monday and have your pick of the litter!" Randy emphatically remarked. "You can even have the runt if you want!"

"Hrrmmm..."

* * *

><p>Nearly a week had passed, and it was now September 13th; the day before Michael's-and Ralph's-birthday. It should have been a time for excitement for the young kit, as he was turning another year older and would no doubt receive many presents from his parents, his extended family, and his family's friends...<p>

...but yet, the little raccoon just couldn't feel all that enthusiastic about it. He just knew he wasn't going to get the present he wanted the most.

It was early in the afternoon as Michael and his young friends, Cecil and Sylvia Sneer, were walking home together as they so often did. Normally, Michael was in a happy mood, but for the past week, he seemed rather down on himself. The twin aardvarks were wondering what was wrong with their friend, and they decided to ask him about it to see what was the matter.

"Hey, hey, what's wrong there, pal?" Cecil asked the little kit.

"Oh, nothing..." Michael sighed, though he knew that wasn't going to be enough to satisfy his friends.

"Something's wrong with you, Mikey," Sylvia remarked, with obvious concern in her voice. "You're not usually this quiet or sad..."

"Isn't your birthday tomorrow, Mikey?" Cecil asked. "Why would you be sad the day before your birthday? If my birthday were tomorrow, I'd be excited for all the presents I'd get!"

"Nothing's wrong, you guys," Michael quickly remarked as he didn't really want to talk about it. "I'm just fine."

"It's alright, you can tell us, buddy!" Cecil tried to encourage his friend. "We won't laugh at you, we promise!"

"Did something happen to you?" Sylvia wondered.

"Are your parents fighting?" Cecil chimed in.

"No, nothing happened to me and my parents are just fine," Michael sighed again. "It's...it's just that..."

"It's just that what?" Sylvia was confused.

"I just don't feel all that excited for my birthday," Michael lowly said.

"Why not? Aren't you getting a lot of presents?" Cecil didn't quite understand.

"Yes, but I'm not going to get the one present I _really_ want..."

"What's that?" Sylvia asked him as she adjusted her glasses.

"I'm not going to get a puppy for my birthday," Michael sighed as his head slunk down.

"You asked your parents for a dog, eh?" Cecil quipped. "I know you like dogs, Mikey, I knew you were going to ask them for one!"

"Yes, but I know they're not going to get me one," Michael sighed yet again.

"Why not?" Sylvia questioned.

"Well, I asked my Mom last week if she and Dad could get me a dog for my birthday. Mom said she would ask Dad about it, and..." He couldn't finish his statement.

"And then what happened?" Sylvia wondered.

"They both said that they're not sure I can handle the responsibility," the kit lowly replied. "I do enough work around the house and always help out as much as I can, but they just don't think I can handle looking after a dog...I don't understand..."

"Aw, cheer up there, Mikey," Sylvia gave her friend a sympathetic look. "It's alright..."

"Yeah, we know how you feel!" Cecil exclaimed. "Last year we asked Mama and Papa if we could have a dog for our birthday, and they said they didn't think we were quite old enough to look after one..."

"You asked your parents for a dog, too?" Michael was surprised.

"Yes, we did," Sylvia nodded. "Well, I wanted a cat and he wanted a dog, and we flipped a coin to see what we would ask for. Cecil won," she explained. "I don't think our parents would have gotten us a cat, either..."

"You shouldn't be too upset, Mikey!" Cecil beamed. "It's still your birthday; just because you didn't get what you wanted doesn't mean you won't have fun!"

"I know, I just wish they would have listened to me," Michael sighed.

"Maybe you could try again next year and maybe your Mom and Dad will let you have one then?" Sylvia tried to encourage her friend.

"Maybe," Michael tried to be optimistic, although he wasn't sure of that. He realized at that moment that he was about to split up from his friends, as they took different paths to get to their homes. "I think I'd better get going. Mom and Dad should be home and I don't want to keep them waiting..."

"We'll see you later, Mikey," Sylvia waved as the two aardvarks headed off in a different direction. "I know your birthday's not until tomorrow, but happy early birthday!"

"Happy early birthday, Mikey!" Cecil repeated. "Hope tomorrow's a great day for you!"

"Thanks guys, I hope so too," the little kit waved as he headed for his home. "Bye."

Eventually, Michael reached the Raccoondominum. He knocked on the front door, but to his surprise, no one answered.

"Mom! Dad! I'm home!" he called out.

No response.

The confused kit opened the front door to his house and stepped inside. He was stunned to see that his parents were nowhere in sight. Usually, his mother would come racing towards the front door to kiss him and scoop him up in a big hug, and his father would tail behind to give him a hug as well. But they were not there, and he didn't understand why.

"Mom! Dad!" Michael called out, starting to feel a little scared. He didn't know _where_ his parents could be. "Where are you? Are you here?"

It was at that moment Michael heard a strange sound coming from upstairs. It sounded like something squealing or whining. He didn't know _what _that sound could be...he couldn't help but feel a little scared. "_Is that...a monster?!_" Michael thought to himself, feeling a little frightened. His mother and father had told him that there were no such things as monsters, but he still didn't fully believe them. "_Could a monster have gotten my parents...NO! I can't lose Mom and Dad!_" Michael began to panic a little.

But at that moment, a voice called from upstairs. "We're up here, honey!" It was the voice of his mother. It was a huge relief hearing her voice; Michael knew his parents were home. But what were they doing upstairs?

"Mommy! What are you and Daddy doing upstairs?" he called up to them. He couldn't help but wonder...were his parents playing a game upstairs? He knew they had told him that they liked to play a game together at night sometimes, and that was why he heard sounds of excitement coming from their bedroom from time to time. He was still trying to figure out _what _kind of grown-up game it was that they loved playing so much. Were they playing it in the daytime, as well?

"We have a surprise for you, Mikey! Come on up, honey!" Melissa cheerfully called for her son.

"Where are you two?" Michael wondered. He still wasn't sure what they were up to...but he was intrigued by the promise of a surprise. Were they going to show him an early birthday present?

"We're in your bedroom," the voice of his father called. "You should come up here, son! I think you'll like what we have to show you..."

Now Michael's curiosity was piqued. He _had _to know what sort of surprise his parents had for him. "Okay, Mommy, Daddy! I'm coming!" With that, Michael slowly but surely made his way up the stairs to the second floor of his house. He headed towards his bedroom and found the door open. He peered in...

...but when he saw what was waiting for them in there, his jaw nearly dropped.

There on his bed sat his mother and father. On the bed with them was a small, wrinkled bulldog puppy. Melissa had a broad smile on her face as she was scratching the little pup behind its ears as its little stub of a tail wiggled back and forth frantically. "Oh, you are so _cute!_" Melissa remarked in a bubbly voice.

At that moment, Ralph got up from the bed and walked towards his son.

"MOM! DAD!" Michael was completely shocked. "You...you got me a puppy for my birthday?!"

"Yes, we did, son," Ralph grinned at his little kit.

"But...but...but you said you thought I wasn't responsible enough for one!" Michael spluttered out.

"Well, we didn't want you to know we were going to get you one ahead of time," Melissa explained, a bright smile still occupying her face. "We wanted this to be a big surprise for you."

"What kind of dog is it? And where did you get it?" Michael was absolutely _bursting _with questions at the moment.

"Well, it's called an Olde English Bulldogge, son," Ralph explained.

"Do you remember the man who works at the _Standard _with your father? Mr. Ratliff?" Melissa asked her son.

"Yes, I do. He always calls me 'Lil' R'! I don't really like that man," Michael remarked. He wasn't fond of the nicknames Randy Ratliff had given him and his parents.

"Well, his parents own bulldogs. One of theirs had puppies not too long ago, and they let us drop by their place this afternoon to have our pick of the litter," Melissa explained. "I didn't know they were this cute!" She seemed to have already fallen in love with the little wrinkled puppy.

"Is it a boy or a girl?" Michael asked one more question.

"It's a girl," Ralph replied, "and she's the runt of the litter."

"Runt of the litter...?" Michael was not familiar with that phrase.

"That means she was the smallest of all the puppies, Mikey," Melissa explained.

"Can I hold her, Mommy? Please?" Michael hopefully asked.

"Of course you can, sweetie!" Melissa replied bubbly as she picked the little bulldog up off the bed and handed her over to her son. "Here you go, Mikey."

"Be careful, son," Ralph cautioned his kit, "she doesn't know us really well yet, so she might be a little scared. She peed on my scarf while we were bringing her back home..." Ralph groaned a bit.

"Oh, okay, Daddy..." He was wondering why his father was wearing a different scarf from normal.

Michael glanced into the small chestnut-brown eyes of his new puppy. The puppy whined a little, but Michael quickly scratched her behind her ears, causing her tongue to come out and lick his face a few times, causing him to giggle.

"Hehehehe, stop it!" the kit giggled away. "I think she's friendly, Daddy!"

"She seems to be," Ralph agreed. "It will just take her a little while to get used to us. She's not used to being away from her brothers, sisters, and parents, after all."

"I understand," Michael smiled as he continued to affectionately scratch his new pet behind the ears. "Did you give her a name?"

"Actually, Mikey, we haven't named her yet," Melissa remarked. "We were waiting to see what you would want to name her. She's our family pet, but since we bought her for you, we want you to name her."

"Hmm..." Michael quickly thought to himself. "What can I name her?" He was having a bit of trouble thinking of a good name for his new puppy...

Then it dawned on him. At that moment, Michael suddenly thought of his favorite food-peanut butter. It gave him an idea for a name.

"I know what we can name her!" he proudly beamed. "We can call her Peanut!"

"Peanut?" Melissa repeated. "That's a cute name, Mikey. I like it!"

Ralph didn't personally think it was a great name, but he had decided that they'd accept whatever name he chose for the puppy as long as it wasn't _really _out there. "If you want to call your puppy 'Peanut', then that's what we'll call her, son," Ralph cracked a smile.

"Hi, Peanut," Michael cutely grinned at the bulldog. "I think we're going to be best friends!"

Peanut whined a little more, but did wiggle her stubby tail a few times.

Michael placed Peanut on the floor and she promptly began to explore and sniff around his bedroom. The little kit and his parents quickly embraced in a huge hug. "Oh Mommy, Daddy, _thank you _for getting me a puppy for my birthday...I thought you weren't going to get me one. This is such a surprise!"

"We're glad we could make you happy, son," Ralph beamed. "You're a good boy who works really hard around the house; you deserve to have a nice present like this."

"Happy early birthday, sweetie," Melissa affectionately rubbed her kit's head. "We love you."

"This is the best birthday present you've ever gotten for me," Michael continued to gush.

"Now, remember, son, this puppy is _your _responsibility. It's your job to see to it that she gets fed on time. It's your job to teach her proper behavior. It's also your job to teach her how to use the bathroom outside so it won't have accidents on our floor," Ralph explained.

"That's right," Melissa nodded. "Peanut is our family pet, but you _do _have to do your part to help properly train her..."

"I know, Mom, I'll do my best to take care of Peanut-I promise!" Michael happily replied.

"We know you will, Mikey..." Melissa warmly smiled.

Ralph glanced over his shoulder. "Speaking of accidents on our floor...!" Michael and Melissa glanced over to where Ralph was looking. Sure enough, there was Peanut standing in the corner of Michael's bedroom, squatting down...

"Not on my bedroom floor!" Michael groaned.

"Oh boy," Ralph shook his head. One thing he was _not _looking forward was having to help clean up puppy mess. He had thought he was through having to clean up messes when he successfully managed to teach Michael how to use the potty a few years ago...

"Guys, you should go take Peanut out-I'll get this cleaned up, don't worry!" Melissa announced as she sprang into action, grabbing a piece of tissue to pick up the mess.

Ralph picked up Peanut and went downstairs to get her leash while Michael followed his father downstairs.

Michael wasn't happy to see his new puppy leave a mess right on his bedroom floor, but still, it was hard for him to be mad. He was still so excited that his birthday wish had come true. "_I just know Peanut and me are going to be the best of friends..._"

Little did Michael know the troubles Peanut would soon cause him...

**END CHAPTER 1**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** Well, that's chapter 1 of "Puppy Problems". As I said, this was originally going to be only one part, but for reasons of convenience, I decided to make it a two part story. It's not a particularly exciting story, but I think this is a pretty good start. Little Michael's wish for a puppy has come true, but what sort of trouble will little Peanut get into? Anyways, just a few notes...

I thought it would be a good idea to introduce a few new elements that will definitely pop up in "Beat the Clock"'s future sequels; such as Michael's other friends besides the Sneer twins or the idea of the _Standard _expanding. I figured Michael, even though he is somewhat timid and has a hard time making friends, should have at least a couple of friends besides Cecil and Sylvia Sneer. Gary Kneitel will likely become a more prominent character in future stories as Michael's friend who does his best to remain positive despite the fact he lives in a broken home. As for the idea of the _Standard _expanding, it makes sense to me; it would be hard for the _Standard _to keep on going into modern times with just three full-time employees. You'll meet more of the _Standard_'s new employees in due time...

And finally, as for why Michael ended up getting a bulldog puppy...this is somewhat based on my own real life. In real life, my family owns two bulldogs; a male and a female. The little bit about how Peanut's mother was easy to train is based on our own female; she was surprisingly easy to train and only had one accident on our floor before she was fully potty-trained! (On the other hand, we had the hardest time getting her to stop chewing things...she literally ate half of our laundry room floor to the point where she was throwing up floor tiles, and used to go through rugs in no time flat...) It's my own personal opinion, and I can't speak for everyone who has experience with the breed, but personally I think bulldogs are a bit misunderstood; they're not all as stupid as they are often perceived to be. I find something surprisingly lovable about the little wrinkled faces...

Anyways, next time around, find out what sort of trouble Peanut gets into as little Michael learns that he's not as responsible as he thought he was, and learns to be more careful...(I won't spoil what's going to happen, like I have a bad habit of doing! :D)


	2. Little Puppy Lost

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **Well, it's been a few months since I wrote the first part of this "little" one-off story, though you might not even realize it since it's actually been months since I wrote the first chapter of this story (my proofreader took a long time getting it back to me). I haven't written much of anything lately...just haven't been in the right mood to really write much as of late. Hey, you can't spend every waking minute of your life writing fanfics, now! But time has passed, and a new year is upon us now (...has it really been almost three years since I first started working on my first Raccoons fanfic?), so I guess it's time to get back to work! Last time around, little Michael Raccoon wanted a puppy and asked his parents if they could get him one for his birthday. Ralph and Melissa did some thinking, and they ultimately decided that Michael was responsible enough and that having a puppy would be a good experience for him. So, they received a bulldog puppy from an annoying _Evergreen Standard _employee of theirs, and gave it to Michael as a birthday present. An overjoyed Michael named his new puppy Peanut and promised his parents he would take good care of her, and all seemed well. But in this chapter...Michael proves to be a bit careless when it comes to taking care of his new pet, and as a result, while taking her for a walk one night, Peanut escapes and runs away. Michael is devastated to lose his puppy...will he get her back? Find out in this chapter...

**CHAPTER TWO: Little Puppy Lost  
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Michael's (and Ralph's) birthday came and went by in a flash. The couple held a small party that evening after the little kit came home from school, attended by his family and their friends, as well as a few of Michael's schoolmates. It had been quite a fun occasion, although some of Michael's friends had gotten him some rather...unusual gifts, to say the least...

"Hello there, Mikey!" a familiar female voice had called out to him at the party.

"Bea? What are you doing here?" It was Beatrice "Bea" Blackpaw, a female raccoon classmate of Michael's. He was surprised to see her at his party, considering he hadn't personally invited her; he wasn't all that particularly fond of her.

"Oh, well, it was your birthday, Mikey, and I thought it would be nice to drop by and say hello!" she giggled, causing the little kit to roll his eyes. "Anyways, I got you a present, Mikey!"

"What is it?" the young raccoon wondered.

Bea promptly handed Michael a small box with a large pink bow on top of it. "Here you go, Mikey. See what I got for you!" she continued to giggle.

Michael opened up the box, but was..._baffled_ by the present Bea had gotten for him. "A...bottle...? Why did you get me a bottle?" Michael raised his eyebrow.

"Well...I thought we could play 'Spin-the-Bottle'!" Bea giggled once again as she draped her arm around him. "Maybe you will get a _really _nice surprise...wouldn't you like that?" she chortled once more, a coy little smile flashing across her face as she fiddled with her pigtails.

Michael's cheeks promptly turned bright pink. "Uh...huh...?" He didn't really understand what was going on...

Aside from that, Michael and Ralph's birthdays turned out quite well. In particular, Ralph was happy with the gift his son had gotten for him...

"Here, Daddy!" Michael beamed at his father as he handed him a small picture frame. "I got this for you at the school store!"

Ralph took a good look at the picture frame. Inside of it, there was a picture taken of the proud father with his arms wrapped tightly around his young son, giving him a big hug. It had been taken this past summer. On the back of the picture frame, Ralph observed some words written in a rather childish manner. It read "_I Love You Daddy!_"

Ralph couldn't help but grin proudly at the present Michael had gotten for him. "Aw, son...that was _very _thoughtful of you. Thank you; I really like it," he smiled warmly as he stooped down to give his son a hug.

"Daddy, do you remember how you said you wanted a picture of you and me to put on your desk at work?" Michael asked his father sweetly.

Ralph nodded his head in reply. "Why, yes, son. I remember saying that not too long ago..."

"Well, I thought you would like it, Dad!" Michael continued to beam proudly.

"Oh, I do, son. Now when I'm having a hard day at the _Standard_'s office and everything seems to be going wrong, I'll always have this little picture of us to remind me of you and brighten up my day. Thanks again, Mikey...I love you, son..." Ralph smiled warmly as father and son hugged each other happily, just like in the picture.

Michael's birthday had been an occasion to remember. He had spent time with his family and friends, and had received many presents from all of them. But of all the presents he received...Peanut, his new pet bulldog, was clearly his favorite.

At first, Peanut was a bit of a troublemaker. She had numerous accidents on the floor during her first few days as the Raccoon family's new pet. It was a bit frustrating for the three raccoons having to deal with constant messes to clean up; in particular, Ralph was _definitely _not fond of having to clean up puppy waste, as he had thought he was through with having to do that sort of stuff after he had successfully potty-trained his son.

Aside from that, Peanut tended to get bored pretty easily, and she had quickly developed the bad habit of chewing and gnawing on anything she could sink her teeth into. In particular, Peanut had developed quite an appetite for the family's rugs...

Late one night, Melissa was walking through the Raccoondominium's hallway as she was heading for Michael's bedroom to tuck her little kit in and kiss him goodnight. But as she was approaching his bedroom door, she couldn't help but notice that Peanut was out in the hallway as well.

"Peanut, what are you doing?" Melissa wondered aloud. She seemed to be gnawing away at something...Melissa hoped it wasn't what she _thought _it was...

...but sure enough, it was. Peanut was chewing on the hallway rug, and she had already ripped some of the threads right out of it. "Peanut, _no!_" Melissa firmly scolded the little bulldog. "You do _not _chew our rugs!"

"What's the matter, Mommy?" Michael asked tiredly as he crawled out of his bed, dressed in his pajamas.

"Peanut has been chewing our rug again," Melissa informed her son. "You know we don't want her doing that...we've already had to replace the one we used to have in here because she chewed it all to pieces!"

"Peanut, no! Bad dog!" Michael scolded his pet as well. "Mommy doesn't want you chewing on our rugs! _Bad dog_!"

Peanut whined as her ears drooped. She was pretty sensitive and didn't like being yelled at. With that, the puppy slunk down and slowly made her way downstairs...

"Do you think she'll stop chewing rugs someday, Mom?" Michael wondered.

"Oh, she will, honey," Melissa smiled warmly, placing a paw on her young son's shoulder. "She's still a baby; she has a lot of growing up to do. You know, you used to get into a lot of things you weren't supposed to when you were a baby, too."

"I did?" Michael remarked, surprised. He couldn't remember back that far.

"Of course you did; but you grew out of it eventually. Peanut will, too..._hopefully..._"

A few weeks passed and Peanut's behavior slowly began to improve. She still had a bad habit of chewing things, but it seemed she was on the fast track to being potty-trained successfully. She now whined when she needed to use the bathroom, and Ralph, Melissa, or Michael would oblige and take her outside to do her business. And Peanut had proven to be quite playful. In particular, she loved playing with Michael...

One afternoon, Michael was outside with Peanut, a small rubber ball firmly placed in his paw. Ralph and Melissa looked on with interest.

"Peanut!" Michael called cheerfully to his pet, squeaking the ball a few times. "Do you want the ball? Do you want the ball?"

Peanut panted eagerly, her little stub of a tail wiggling frantically back and forth. It was her way of saying, "Yes!"

"Well, okay!" Michael grinned. "Go get it, girl!" the little kit shouted as he tossed the ball several feet away. Almost immediately, Peanut raced over to where the ball had landed, grabbed it with her jaws, and galloped back towards her young owner. She ran so fast that she bumped into the little kit and startled him, causing him to lose his balance and fall over onto his back.

"WOAH!" Michael called out. Next thing he knew, the little bulldog had climbed on top of him and was now frantically licking his face. "RUFF! RUFF!" the puppy barked.

"Hehehehe!" the young kit couldn't help but giggle, as he scratched Peanut behind her ears, causing her stub to wiggle frantically and making her lick him even more. "Stop it, Peanut! Hehehe!"

Ralph and Melissa couldn't help but smile fondly at the adorable scene happening before them. Seeing how much fun their little son was having with his new pet warmed the raccoon couple's hearts.

"Awww, look at him, Ralph," Melissa sweetly remarked. "He's having so much fun with her. He _really _loves her a lot, doesn't he?"

"I know," Ralph happily nodded. "I've never seen him so happy in all my life. They really get along well...getting Michael a puppy for his birthday was a wonderful idea, wasn't it honey?"

"I agree, sweetie," Melissa continued to beam proudly.

"Hey, Mikey!" Ralph called out to his son. "What's the name of that game you're playing with Peanut?"

Michael picked up the rubber ball off the ground, which was covered in Peanut's drool. "Heheh...Well, Daddy, I call it 'Slobber-ball'!" he giggled cheerfully.

A month has passed since his parents had gotten him Peanut for his birthday, and Michael was bonding wonderfully with his new pet. She still had a lot to learn and had a habit of finding trouble, but with Michael's help, her behavior was slowly starting to improve. The two of them got along well, and Michael was happier than he had ever been before. It seemed he and Peanut would have many happy years together...

But then one October night, _everything _went wrong for the little kit...

* * *

><p>It was a beautiful mid-October afternoon. The leaves had turned from green to red, yellow, and brown, and the weather was starting to grow cooler. While most of the Forest's residents were pleased that the hot temperatures of summer had passed them by, many of them weren't looking forward to the impending harshness of the upcoming winter...<p>

Today, Melissa Raccoon was sitting on the Raccoondominum's family sofa in the living room, curled up with another one of her favorite romance novels. Melissa always had been a real sucker for romance and cute couples, and she couldn't help but feel herself rooting for the couple in the novel, even though they were up against incredible odds. "They really do have quite a story to them," Melissa spoke aloud as she adjusted her reading glasses. "Still," she sighed wistfully, "I don't think it compares to mine and Ralph's own love story..."

Melissa was alone in the Raccoondominium at the moment, as her hubby had gone outside with their young kit so the two of them could play with Peanut. While Melissa usually would go outside with the guys to play with their puppy, today she had voluntarily made the decision to stay inside and read her romance novel. She knew that Ralph felt that he wasn't as close to Michael as he was with her, so she always liked setting up opportunities for father and son to bond by spending quality time together. She looked out the window and saw Ralph and Michael playing Frisbee with Peanut. Ralph had just thrown the Frisbee, and the little bulldog had leaped into the air and caught it. She could hear the sounds of the two of them laughing together outside..."I'm glad my guys are having such fun together," Melissa smiled happily to herself.

With that, Melissa's attention quickly turned back to her romance novel. But just as she turned the page, she was started by the sound of the telephone ringing. She quickly placed her book down and glanced over the phone, checking the caller ID. She recognized that number in a flash as it was very familiar to her. "Oh, I'd better get that!" she exclaimed as she took off her reading glasses and picked up the phone off the receiver.

An ever-familiar goofy voice came over the other end of the line. "Hey, Ralphie boy! How are ya doin'?"

Melissa couldn't help but chuckle. "Haha, no, no, Bert. It's me...Melissa!"

"Oh!" Bert exclaimed, sounding a bit surprised. "Oh, sorry, Melissa. I was expecting Ralphie boy...I had somethin' I wanted to talk to him about. Do you know where he is right now?"

Melissa glanced out the window. "He's outside right now with Michael. They're having fun playing with Peanut," she explained.

"Ah, I see! The little guy really loves that bulldog ya got him, doesn't he?"

"Oh he does, he does!" Melissa beamed. "It was a great idea to get him a puppy for a birthday present, I think. They really get along together so well!" She quickly changed the subject. "Anyways, Bert, what did you want to talk to Ralph about? Go ahead, you can tell me. I can talk to him about it when he comes back in."

"You know Prof. Sarff, right?" Bert asked inquisitively.

Melissa recognized that name. Prof. Claude Sarff, a mongoose, was the current owner and curator of the Evergreen Science & History Museum. He had come to the Forest about a decade ago from Trois-Rivieres, Quebec to work as Prof. Smedley-Smythe's assistant. The aged goat professor had passed away about three years ago, and ever since Prof. Sarff had taken over operations at the museum. He _completely _renovated and revamped the museum ever since he'd taken it over... "Sure, I think we all know him pretty well," Melissa replied.

"And ya know that he's holding a laser rock show at the Museum auditorium tonight, right?"

"Oh, I do," Melissa responded. She heard about that for the past couple of weeks; it had even been advertised in their newspaper. "I imagine that'll be quite a sight to behold!"

"Well, Max and I did some thinkin', an' we decided that we're gonna go see it," her goofy friend explained to her. "She thought it would be a lotta fun to see and that it might be rather...ya know...romantic. And we wanted to know if you and Ralphie boy would come along with us. You know...one of those 'couples' nights out' we like to do every now and then?"

Melissa really did enjoy their couples' nights out; it was quite a lot of fun for the two couples to go out together and enjoy themselves. And she had to admit...the idea of her and Ralph watching a laser light show set to rock music sounded like it might be rather romantic. "Ooohh...that sounds like fun, Bert! But isn't it five dollars per person to get in?"

"Yeah...but I saw that couples could get in for $2.50 apiece for all three one-hour shows tonight," Bert chuckled. "Can't resist passin' up an offer like that, y'know!"

It sounded like a good deal to Melissa. "Haha, I guess you're right, Bert," Melissa laughed a bit as well. It was at that very moment that Ralph, Michael, and Peanut strolled back into the Raccoondominium.

"So what d'ya say? Will ya meet us there?" Bert asked her.

"Oh, Ralph just came in," Melissa explained to him. "I'll be sure to ask him about it, okay?"

"Alright," Bert responded. "See ya later, Melissa! If you and Ralphie boy decide to go, be sure to meet us there by seven!"

"Alright, bye," Melissa smiled as she hung up the phone. She then turned her attention to her husband and her child. "Well! I see you boys had fun, huh?" she chuckled, noticing they were both a little dirty from their outdoor fun.

"We sure did, honey," Ralph smiled. "That Peanut is really...energetic, I'll say that!"

"She's the best dog in the world!" Michael beamed as he scratched his puppy behind the ears. "Daddy and I had a blast, Mommy!"

"I'm glad to hear that," Melissa beamed proudly. It always made her feel happy deep inside seeing Ralph getting along well with their son.

"Who was that on the phone, honey?" Ralph wondered.

"Oh, that was Bert. He had something he wanted me to ask you, sweetie..."

"Oh, and what's that?"

"You know that Prof. Sarff is holding the laser rock show at the Museum's auditorium tonight, right?" she asked her husband.

"Oh, I remember," Ralph scoffed. "That just seems so...so needlessly..._extravagant,_" he remarked. While Prof. Sarff was a friendly and wise individual, he seemed rather...eccentric, to the point where Ralph sometimes jokingly called him the "Nutty Professor". Ralph thought his whole idea of having a laser rock show was _quite _silly. He didn't seen anything scientific or educational in holding laser light shows synchronized to rock music...

"Well, sweetie, Bert said that he and Maxie were going to go see it, and he wanted to know if we'd come along too," she smiled at him. "I think it sounds really romantic, Ralph. We could hold paws and watch the show together. What do you say?"

While Ralph did enjoy the couples' nights that he and Melissa had shared with Bert and Maxie from time to time, he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to see the laser rock show. It just sounded too _ridiculous _for his liking. "I don't know, honey...if you ask me, I think the whole thing sounds _really _silly..."

"Oh, c'mon, Ralph, where's your sense of romance?" Melissa chuckled. "You know, cute couples get in for half price...and I really think it'll be a lot of fun...hmmm...?" she winked. Melissa proceeded to flash a sly, flirtatious grin, coyly batting her eyelashes at her hubby.

Ralph realized what his wife was trying to do right away. "_Oh dear. She's trying to use her 'feminine wiles' to coax me into going with her._" Sometimes, when Ralph wasn't sure about doing something with her that she was keen on, Melissa would flirt around with him a bit, trying to convince him to do what she wanted. He _hated _when she did that...because it _always _worked. That flirty, childish-looking smirk planted firmly on her face and that almost pleading look in her wild baby blues made his heart feel like it was about to pound right out of his chest. He _couldn't _say no to that face...

Ralph did have to admit, maybe the laser rock show _would _be fun, even though it still seemed pretty silly to him. Besides, he always loved spending quality time with his sweet girl; it seemed rather foolish to pass up on an opportunity like that..."OK, honey. I guess it could be fun to see the light show. I suppose we'll go see it. Besides, I guess it'll be nice hanging out with Bert and Maxie again," he smiled at her. "Plus, I could always write an article about the show, you know!"

"I'm glad to hear that, Ralph," Melissa smiled sweetly at him. "_Heheheh,_" she mentally chuckled to herself. "_That never fails to get his attention! You've still got it, ol' girl!_"

Michael was a little confused. "Daddy," he whispered, "I thought you didn't want to go with Mommy? All she did was look at you funny and then you decided you wanted to go with her. I don't get it...?"

"Son," Ralph quietly informed his son. "When you get just a little bit older, you'll understand. Trust me, you _will _understand..."

"Oh, okay," Michael smiled, though he was still puzzled. "_Grown-ups can be weird sometimes..._"

"It's three shows tonight, am I right?" Ralph asked Melissa.

"Yes," Melissa nodded. "Laser Rolling Bones, Laser Airship, and Laser Floyd," she explained. "Each show is an hour long."

"Ah," Ralph remarked. He remembered the names of all those bands well as they had all been popular in his youth...though he hadn't been entirely fond of all them. "I guess that could be interesting to see." He then realized how dirty he was from playing outside with his son and Peanut. It had rained the previous night and he and Michael had rolled around in the mud and the leaves while playing with the puppy. "Think I'd better get a shower first, though! Don't want to go there looking like I just had a mud bath," he chuckled.

"We wouldn't want that, would we now, dear?" Melissa giggled in reply.

"Haha, no, we wouldn't!"

Michael was rather excited. His parents had taken him to the museum several times over the past couple of years, where he always _loved _visiting. It fascinated him to learn more about his Forest home and its' past. He thought a trip to the museum with his mother and father would be a ton of fun. "Mommy, can I go with you and Daddy? Can I?" Michael eagerly asked.

Melissa's broad smile turned a bit more serious. "I'm afraid not, sweetie..." she said, sympathetically.

"Why not? I love the museum! We would have a lot of fun together!" Michael wondered.

"I know, son, but you heard us. Mommy and Daddy are going to the Museum with your Uncle Bert and Aunt Maxie," Ralph explained. "It's a grown-ups only night."

"Awww," Michael groaned. He had been hoping he might be able to go with his parents, so hearing this disappointed him.

"Don't worry, honey," Melissa smiled at the little kit. "We can always go to the museum together as a family some other time."

"Okay, Mommy," Michael managed to crack a small smile. "What's going to happen to me while you two are gone?" He was expecting his parents to tell him who he was going to spend the night with...

He wasn't expecting the response his mother gave him. "Mikey, tonight you can stay here at home. Peanut does need someone to stay with her and keep an eye out for her, after all!"_  
><em>

Michael was _very _excited hearing what his mother had just told him. For what had seemed like the longest time, Michael had been hoping his parents would let him look after the house by himself while they were out and about. He _did _like spending time with his babysitters, but he admittedly had grown a bit tired of having to spend the night at someone else's house whenever his parents went out. He thought he could handle the responsibility of looking after the Raccoondominium by himself quite well. It _thrilled _him hearing his mother seemingly grant his wish. "You mean I can look after the house...all by myself...?!"

Melissa chuckled a little at her son's eagerness. "Haha, no, honey. You're not quite old enough to look after the house by yourself yet. You will be someday soon, but for the time being, you'll need a babysitter for the night."

"Oh," Michael sighed. That was quite a disappointment for him learning that he would still need a babysitter...

"Well, who do you think we should get honey?" Ralph wondered. It seemed to him like most of their family and friends were busy tonight.

"Hmm..." Melissa thought to herself; then it hit her. She knew who could look after their son for the night. "You know, dear, Nicole's free for the night. Why don't we call her up and ask her if she'll look after him tonight? I know she's _very _fond of Mikey..."

"That sounds like a fine idea, Melissa," Ralph smiled.

Michael still felt disappointed knowing he was going to be babysat tonight. He didn't like feeling like he was a little kid. "Mommy...why did you say that Peanut needed me to look after her if I'm going to have a babysitter...?"

Ralph fielded that question. "Even if you have a babysitter, son, it's still your responsibility to look after Peanut. We got her for you, after all, and it's your job to make sure she doesn't get into any trouble and goes outside on time so she doesn't have any accidents."

Michael smiled hearing that. He liked knowing he was in charge of watching Peanut for the night...but little did he know what would happen that evening...

* * *

><p>It was about 6:30 and Ralph and Melissa were getting ready to head over to the Museum for the laser rock show. They had called Nicole a little while earlier, and seeing that she was free, she happily agreed to watch over Michael for the night while they were gone. She was due to arrive at any minute...<p>

"Well, Ralph, we're almost ready to go," Melissa smiled. "This is going to be a lot of fun, don't you think?" she continued to beam broadly.

"I sure hope so," Ralph smiled right back at her. "I just hope that Bert behaves himself tonight...he almost got the four of us kicked out of that Chinese restaurant last time because he was laughing too hard at a joke Maxie made," Ralph sighed. "_Plus, I hope this isn't as silly as I think it's going to be..._" he silently thought to himself.

Michael was feeling a bit anxious for his aunt to arrive. "Mommy, why isn't Uncle George coming over as too?"

"Well, Mikey," Melissa explained to her son. "Your Uncle George is busy working late at his restaurant tonight, so he can't come over. But your Auntie Nicole was free tonight."

"I hope she gets here soon," Michael replied, feeling a little impatient. Michael had once been a bit nervous around his aunt and uncle. They were so very..._different _from his mother and father. It surprised him to see that George was the one who cooked and did most of the household chores around their household, while Nicole was the one who was good at fixing things and did most of the handiwork. It was quite the opposite of what he was used to seeing at his house, where his father usually fixed things that were broken and his mother did most of the chores and the cooking, and it confused him greatly at first. But over time, Michael had grown fond of his uncle, and particularly his aunt. They both adored him and whenever one or both of them were watching over him, they always made sure to make him feel comfortable staying with them. Still, Michael didn't really want to be babysat tonight...

"She should be here...any minute," Ralph shrugged. He had thought she would show up by now...

A few moments later, there was a knock on the front door. "Ah, that should be her now!" Melissa smiled as she opened the front door.

Sure enough, Nicole was standing there, waiting to greet them. "'Ello there, Ralph, Melizza," she cracked a smile at them. "I am zorry if I am a little late. I 'ad a few thingz I needed to tend to around the 'ouze and it took me a while to do that."

"We were wondering where you were, but it's alright, Nicole," Ralph smiled at his sister-in-law. At that moment, Nicole noticed little Michael, who promptly ran into her outstretched arms for a hug.

"Hi, Auntie Nicole!" Michael chirped cheerfully.

"Oh, 'ello there, Mikey," Nicole happily smiled at him, as she tussled with the fur on her young nephew's head. Nicole had _always _been very fond of Michael, ever since he was just a tiny baby raccoon. She hadn't told many people about it, but when Lisa and Bentley had left her and George's household to live on their own, it hit Nicole particularly hard as she had been really fond of both their children. She couldn't help but chuckle remembering how she had called Bentley periodically after he moved into the dorms at Evergreen University just to see how he was doing and if everything was alright; it had _really _gotten on her son's nerves! Even though they hadn't moved very far away at all and she still saw them from time to time, she missed her children terribly after they had both left. But it wasn't long afterwards that Ralph and Melissa had brought Michael into the world. She had adored the little kit ever since she had first seen him in the hospital room he was born in, and over the years her brother-in-law and his wife had been more than happy to let her and George look after Michael from time to time. The time she spent watching over her little nephew over the years had helped her in overcoming her loneliness, and thus, she was always happy to look after him. "Mikey," she smiled to him. "I 'ope that you and I will have a lot of fun together tonight...?"

"I hope we do too, Auntie Nicole," Michael grinned.

At that moment, Peanut slowly walked up to Nicole. She was a little nervous around strangers, and she wasn't all that familiar with Nicole...

Nicole reached down and gently scratched the nervous bulldog behind the ears. "Oh, 'ello, Peanut," she smiled at the puppy. "Do not be afraid; I will not 'urt you..."

Peanut was still a little nervous, but her stubby tail did wag a little. "She'll get used to you, Nicole. She's just a little nervous around strangers," Ralph explained.

"I underztand, zhe iz ztill very young," Nicole knowingly replied.

"I think she'll grow to like you, Auntie Nicole!" Michael smiled optimistically.

"Well, I 'ope zhe will," Nicole agreed.

"I think it's about time we should get going," Melissa remarked as she grabbed her denim jacket from the coat rack by the door and quickly put it on. "Now remember, Nicole, Michael can stay up one extra hour after his bedtime, seeing as today is Friday." Michael usually went to bed at around 9:30, but for his birthday, Ralph and Melissa had decided to grant their son permission to stay up one hour longer on Fridays, Saturdays, and the night before days with no school. Needless to say, the little kit _definitely _liked this new privilege.

"Oui, of courze, Melizza," Nicole nodded. "I will 'ave 'im in bed by 10:30, no worriez." Nicole was a bit concerned, though, as she wasn't sure how she could contact Ralph and Melissa if something was wrong and she needed to reach them. Ralph and Melissa had yet to fully enter the digital age; they were yet to acquire cell phones. Michael had asked them if he could have one last year, but the couple didn't see why he needed one at his young age, so they had not gotten him one. "I am juzt wondering, 'ow zhall I reach you if zomething 'appens and I need to get in touch with you before you come back? You two don't 'ave cell phonez..."

"That's right, we don't," Ralph replied as he grabbed his old coat and tossed it on as well. "But Bert has one. We wrote the number down for you in case you need to reach us. It's right on the refrigerator. If anything goes wrong, just call his number and tell him that you need to speak with us."

"But don't worry, I think everything will go just fine for you two tonight while we're gone," Melissa smiled reassuringly.

Michael realized his parents were about to leave. "Goodbye Daddy...bye, Mommy," he beamed at them.

Ralph stooped down and gave his little son a goodbye hug. "Bye, son," he grinned back at the kit. "You be good for your Aunt Nicole, alright? And please make sure Peanut's taken care of while we're gone..."

"Don't worry, I will!" the young raccoon exclaimed in a confident manner.

Melissa stooped down to hug her child as well. "Goodbye, my little cutie pie," she flashed a warm smile at him as she pinched his little cheeks, making him giggle. "I know you'll be as good as gold for your aunt tonight."

"I'll be on my best behavior, Mom," Michael cheerfully replied.

"I know you will," Melissa smiled tenderly. "We may bring you home a souvenir from the museum for you to keep, honey," she explained to him.

That excited the young kit. "Really, Mom?" his ears perked up.

"Of course; if you're good, that is," Melissa nodded. With that, the raccoon couple headed for the front door.

"We'll see you later tonight, Nicole. We'll probably be home by 11:00 if everything goes well. Remember, have Michael in bed by 10:30!" Ralph called out to her.

"And make sure Michael takes Peanut out on time. Goodbye!" Melissa waved. And with that, the raccoon couple left the Raccoondominuum and headed for the Museum to meet Bert and Maxie.

No sooner had his parents left than Michael's stomach started to rumble. It had been a while since he had eaten and he was starting to feel pretty hungry. "Auntie Nicole," he asked his aunt, "what are we going to eat tonight?"

Nicole placed a finger to her chin as she thought for a moment. "Well...I may not be az good a cook az your Uncle George, but I will zee what I can whip up for the two of uz," she smiled as they headed to the kitchen. Peanut, hoping that she might get some table food, followed closely behind them.

"Make sure that Peanut doesn't get any table scraps, Auntie Nicole! Mom said she doesn't want her getting fat," Michael chuckled.

"Oui, I understand," Nicole nodded.

Michael ended up having a great time spending the night with his Aunt Nicole. She had fixed up spaghetti and meatballs for the two of them; it had been a nice supper. Afterwards, the little kit fed Peanut and took her outside to use the bathroom. Then the two of them had played with Peanut for a while and played a few games with one another. It was now about a quarter to ten, and now aunt and nephew were sitting on the living room sofa, watching one of Michael's _Thomas the Tank Engine_ videotapes on TV. Michael didn't watch _Th__omas _as much as he did when he was a bit younger, but he still was fond of the show and liked to watch it every now and then. Nicole had brought some of the tapes for her nephew to watch, as she didn't mind watching them with him-though it did surprise her that a famous foul-mouthed comedian was narrating the episodes!

In the episode the two were watching on TV, Henry, a large green engine, had just come home to the Island of Sodor after being repaired and rebuilt following a nasty accident. He had been ill before and felt a lot better after being mended. But Gordon, the largest engine on the Island, was jealous and berated Henry for being so happy when he came home and for whistling loudly at all the stations, boasting that proper engines didn't do such a thing. Henry felt upset, but in typical fashion for this show, Gordon ended up eating his words when his own whistle jammed and caused a cacophony of noise. Workmen had to knock it back in place to make the noise stop, and needless to say, the big engine had been humiliated.

"_That night, Gordon slunk into the shed. He was glad it was empty._

_'It isn't wrong,' murmured Henry to no one in particular, 'but we just don't do it!'_

_No one mentioned whistles!_"

"Oh, that Gordon," Nicole chuckled. "'e iz _zho _ztuck up at timez, izn't 'e?"

"Well, he's the biggest and fastest engine on the Island of Sodor!" Michael chimed in.

"Ah, that iz certainly true; I zuppose it would get to your 'ead if you were like that," Nicole nodded. "'e got what 'e dezerved for being rude to 'enry, though."

"Yes, he did!" the little kit laughed.

It was at that moment that Peanut, who had been sleeping at the foot of the sofa, woke up and started looking straight at Michael, whining a little. It was clear that she wanted to go outside...

Nicole quickly took notice. "Mikey, I do believe that Peanut wantz you to take 'er outzide."

"Ah, but Auntie Nicole!" Michael protested. "Henry's going to sneeze on those mean boys! I don't want to miss that!" In the episode, Henry had whistled at some boys on a bridge he passed under, only for them to throw rocks at him, which shattered his coaches' windows. His driver had come up with a plan to teach them a lesson by stuffing Henry's smokebox with ashes and having him sneeze them out through his funnel when they passed under the bridge again. It was one of Michael's favorite episodes; he didn't want to miss the ending.

"I can alwayz pauze it and we can watch the rezt when you come back in," Nicole gave a reassuring smile as she picked up the remote and proceeded to do just that.

"Okay, Auntie Nicole. I'll be back in in just a few minutes!" he smiled as he grabbed Peanut's leash and attached it to her pink collar. While Peanut was allowed to run loose sometimes during the day time, she was always put on her leash at night since it was a lot darker out and it would be a lot easier for her to run off...

Michael grabbed his jacket and guided Peanut to the front door and opened it. The bulldog puppy and her young master then stepped outside into the cool mid-October night. It was chilly outside, but not _terribly _so. It would get much colder in the months to come...

Soon, Peanut was sniffing the ground, checking out any interesting smells as she searched for a place to do her business. Normally, Michael was very careful when he took Peanut outside at night, but tonight...he was busy daydreaming and not paying attention...

"_Peanut and I have been getting along so well over these past few weeks,_" Michael smiled brightly to himself. "_I wonder if she and I will be friends forever?_"

Michael began to imagine himself at an older age, about ten or so. He was outside the Raccoondominium, holding a Frisbee in front of Peanut. His parents were looking on through the window.

"_Hey, Peanut!_" Michael called out. "_Do you want the Frisbee?_"

_"Yes, yes, Mikey__!_" the bulldog opened her mouth to answer him. Peanut couldn't actually talk as she was just an ordinary dog, but in Michael's active imagination, he could envision her speaking to him. "_Please throw it to me!_"

"_Okay, here you go!_" Michael shouted as he threw the Frisbee. Peanut raced after it and quickly caught it.

"_Thank wyou, Mikey!_" she spoke up in a muffled voice as she returned the Frisbee to him. Next thing the young kit knew, Peanut leapt right into his arms. She was quite heavy, but somehow Michael was able to hold her in his small arms.

"_Mikey, I wlove you!_" the bulldog smiled happily at her owner. "_Yhou're my best friend in the whole world!_"

"_And you're my best friend too, Peanut,_" Michael smiled right back as Peanut's tongue came out to greet his face, making him laugh. "_We'll be friends forever, won't we, Peanut?"_ he asked his dog.

"_Of course whe whill, Mikey!_" Peanut's tail wagged.

Michael smiled thinking of what the future would hold for him and Peanut, but it was at that moment he was interrupted from his daydream as _everything _went wrong.

A small squirrel or chipmunk strolled out not too far from where Michael and Peanut were standing. Peanut was immediately interested and began tugging on her leash, as she wanted to chase after the small wild rodent.

"Huh?!" Michael gasped as he felt Peanut pulling hard on her leash. "Peanut, what are you-"

But he didn't have time to finish his sentence, as Peanut proceeded to pull so hard that Michael abruptly let go of her leash and she promptly flew off after the little rodent. She chased it into the bushes and disappeared clear out of sight.

Michael was absolutely stunned. He tried frantically to call out for Peanut, hoping she would come back. "**_PEANUT!_**" Michael loudly cried out for the bulldog puppy. "_PEANUT! COME BACK! **COME**** BA****CK!**_"

But Peanut didn't come back. Michael tried to call her again and again. "PEANUT, _PLEASE _COME BACK!"

But it was to no avail. Peanut was nowhere to be seen. Michael's loud cries for his lost puppy quickly attracted Nicole's attention, and she soon stepped outside to see what the commotion was.

"Michael," Nicole spoke in a worried tone of voice to her little nephew. "What iz going on? Where iz Peanut?"

"Auntie Nicole..." Michael croaked as he began to tear up, "_PEANUT RAN AWAY!_"

"What?" Nicole was surprised. "Peanut ran away...but 'ow? 'ow did zhe run away? Tell me what 'appened," she tried her best to reassure the saddened kit.

"I was daydreaming...and I wasn't paying attention...and a squirrel or something ran past...and then..." Michael continued to sob.

"And then what...?"

"And then Peanut tugged on her leash and I couldn't hold on to her and she ran away!" Michael burst out, more tears streaming down his face. "And it's all **_my _**fault!"

"Oh, there, there, Mikey," Nicole replied sympathetically, trying to make him feel a little better. "I am zure Peanut did not go too far away. Maybe zhe is around 'ere zomewhere. What do you zay we look around and zee if we can find 'er?"

"Okay, Auntie Nicole," Michael sniffled, but he didn't feel optimistic at all.

Nicole and Michael searched around the area for about 10 minutes or so, periodically calling out for Peanut in the hopes that the little bulldog would hear them and come rushing back. But it was of no use. Peanut didn't reappear. "Auntie Nicole, we've _got _to find her! We've _got _to!"

Nicole sadly shook her head. "It'z no uze, Mikey. We 'aven't zeen 'er anywhere around 'ere. I'm afraid there iz not much more I can do," she sighed. She wished there was more she could do to help, but it was probably not a great idea to go searching the woods for the lost puppy. "I zhall 'ave to call your parents and let them know what 'az 'appened..."

Michael didn't like hearing that at all. "_NO, _Auntie Nicole! You can't tell them about this!"

"But I think I zhould," Nicole replied firmly. "They ought to know, and they may be able to 'elp find 'er."

"But you _can't_!" the little kit tearfully protested. "They told me to look after Peanut while they were gone. They said she was my responsibility! They got Peanut for me because they thought I was responsible enough to care for her...they're going to be so **_mad_** at me, Auntie Nicole!" he cried.

"I underztand 'ow you feel," Nicole replied in her gentlest tone of voice. "When I waz your age, I didn't want my parentz to know about bad thingz I 'ad done, either. But it iz for the bezt that they know. Bezidez, if I do not tell them now, they _will _find out about it when they come 'ome..."

Michael knew his aunt was right, but he was still afraid what was going to happen. His thoughts turned to his close friend, Gary Kneitel. He knew very well that Gary's mother did not love her son, and Gary had told him just the other day that he wondered if it was because of something he had done when he was little.

Michael remembered the talks with his mother he had the previous month. He had talked to her about Gary and wondered if she would stop loving him someday as well. But Melissa had reassured him that there was nothing he could ever do that would make her and his father stop loving him.

But at a time like this, Michael wasn't sure of that. He felt that this was _the _absolute worst thing he had ever done in his young life. He wasn't sure if his parents would love him anymore after losing the puppy they had gotten for him and constantly warned him to be responsible in looking after her. "...Auntie Nicole...?" Michael squeaked out feebly. "...Do...do you think that Mommy and Daddy...aren't...aren't going to love me...anymore?"

Nicole was surprised to hear the kit say that. "Michael! No, 'oney, I am _zure _your parentz will ztill love you after thez. They love you with all their 'eartz. Why would you think they would ztop loving you?"

"I don't know..." Michael sighed sadly. "I'm just...scared thinking of what they will say."

"Oh, Mikey, it will be alright. I am zure they won't be too 'arzh on you. I will go back inzide and call them, okay?"

"Okay," Michael sighed as Nicole headed back into the Raccoondominum. But as Michael followed his aunt, he still couldn't help but feel afraid wondering what his parents would say to him...

He imagined what might happen when they came home. Michael had just explained what had happened to his parents, and they seemed to be understanding and sympathetic to him.

"_Son,_" Ralph spoke to him. "_Your mother and I understand. Accidents can happen to anyone._"

"_Mommy, Daddy..._" Michael desperately tried to plead with them. "_I'm **really **__sorry I lost Peanut...please forgive me...? I didn't mean to lose her..._"

To his surprise, his father's physical appearance suddenly changed rather drastically. He was suddenly _much _taller than he normally was-he towered over him. His eyes turned a bloody red color, filling with intense anger. And for whatever reason, long, jagged, bloody fangs suddenly protruded from his father's jaws...

"_**PAH!**_" Ralph sneered at his son. "_Forgive you?! After you did that?!"_

_"__Please, Daddy...Mommy...I'm sorry!_" Michael tearfully begged, hoping his parents would forgive them.

At that moment, his mother took on the same hellish appearance as his father. "_Sorry's not **good **enough,_ _Mikey!_" she angrily shouted at him.

"_You were _**_told _**_to look after Peanut and make sure nothing happened to her,_" his father continued to hiss in a near demonic tone.

"_You _**_promised _**_us that you would watch over her tonight while your father and I were out,_" Melissa screeched at him.

"**_AND YOU BROKE THAT_**_ **PROMISE!**_" they both shrieked at him in unison, their faces twisting violently as they did so.

"_You're...not going to forgive me...?_" Michael sobbed. He was terrified out of his little mind...

"_**NO, **son! We will _**_never _**_forgive you! You broke a promise! That is **the **worst thing you could ever do to us!_" Ralph screamed at him.

"_Do you remember how I told you that there was nothing you could ever do that would make us stop loving you? Well, I was **wrong**, Mikey! We **don't **love__ you anymore! We wish we **never **had you!_" Melissa hollered out in an even more frightening sounding voice than before.

"_We never want to see you again, son! Go to your room and never come out **again!**_" his father snorted. A horrified and saddened Michael slowly slunk up the stairs to his bedroom as his demonic-looking parents guffawed loudly at his failure.

"_I'm...sorry..._" Michael whispered tearfully to himself.

Back in reality, Michael shuddered just imagining something like that. He _hoped _his parents weren't going to be _that _mad...they had _never _been _really _angry or harsh towards him. But he just wasn't sure...

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, at the Evergreen Museum's auditorium, Ralph and Melissa had been having a good time with Bert and Maxie at the laser rock show. The last show was almost over, and Bert and Maxie were dancing around to the music and acting rather silly.<p>

"_Let's spend the night together_

_Now I need you more than ever_

_Let's spend the night together...now!"_

"Hehheh!" Bert chuckled to himself. "This has been quite a blast, hasn't it, babe?" he laughed again.

"Sure has, hon!" Maxie chortled. She was really enjoying herself tonight...and Bert's silly behavior was certainly quite infectious to her...

Ralph couldn't help but roll his eyes at their goofy behavior. "Oh, good grief. I _knew _that Bert was going to make a complete fool out of himself..." He couldn't help but wonder if his actions were going to get him kicked out before the end of the show...

"Oh, c'mon, Ralph! At least they're having fun," Melissa let out a little chuckle. "You are too, aren't you?"

"Well, this hasn't been bad as I _thought _it was going to be..." Ralph had to admit. "I have to admit, it was pretty creative of Prof. Sarff to set all this up. This has actually been pretty fun, honey..."

"I'm glad you thought so," Melissa smiled warmly at her husband as she nestled her head on his shoulder. "See, Ralph? I told you it would be a lot of fun!"

"I guess you were right..." Ralph beamed back at her. It _had _been a pretty nice night...

It was at that moment that Bert's cell phone went off. Bert was too absorbed in his childish dance to take notice, but Maxie heard it.

"Uh, Bert?" Maxie tried to grab her goofy husband's attention. "Your phone just went off, hon. I think maybe you should answer it."

"_Oh!_" Bert quickly snapped out of it. He immediately answered the ringing phone, not even glancing at the number. "Hello? Bert Raccoon, Ace Reporter here! Who is this?"

"It iz me, Nicole Raccoon. May I pleaze speak to Ralph and Melizza, Bert? I know they are there with you..."

"Oh, well, no problem! I'll get them for ya!" With that, Bert handed the phone over to the couple.

"Hey, guys, Nicole's callin' ya!"

Melissa took the phone. "Hello, Nicole. What's up? Is something the matter?" She waited for her response while Ralph tried to listen intently to their conversation.

"'ello, Melizza. I am afraid that there _iz _something wrong. Michael took Peanut outzide to do 'er buzinezz, and zhe ran away. We 'ave tried looking for 'er everywhere, but we can't find 'er..." Nicole sadly replied.

"Oh my! That's...that's terrible, Nicole! Why, we have to find her! We'll be home at once to deal with this, Nicole," Melissa informed the older raccoon. With that, she hung up the phone and handed it back to Bert. "C'mon, Ralph! We need to get home at once! Michael lost Peanut and I think we should head on home to deal with this..."

"HEY!" Ralph shouted as Melissa grabbed his paw rather forcefully, pulling it so hard that she practically snatched him right out of his seat. "I guess we'll see you later, Bert!" a confused Ralph called out as Melissa dragged him towards the auditorium's exit.

"Well...alright! See ya at work, Ralphie boy!" Bert called after him. He couldn't help but shrug. "Wonder what _that _was all about?"

Melissa soon explained to Ralph what was going on after they left the Musuem. Once they returned home, they were surprised by what they saw when they opened the front door...

While Nicole was sitting on the living room sofa, Michael was trying to hide in the corner. He looked absolutely _fearful _to see the two of them; he was visibly shaking and quivering.

"What's the matter with Michael? Why he is trying to hide?" Ralph asked Nicole.

"'e iz terrified of what you two will zay to 'im," Nicole informed the couple.

"Michael, honey, it's okay! Don't be scared-come on out!" Melissa tried to encourage her son.

Michael ran towards them with tears streaming from his eyes. He wasn't sure _what _they were going to say to him. "Mom, Dad...I...I'm _sorry!_" he cried pathetically as he continued to sob...

Melissa patted her sad child on the back, trying to comfort him a little. "There, there, Mikey. Calm down, it's okay..."

"Michael, we heard from Aunt Nicole that you lost Peanut while we were gone. Please, son...could you tell us what happened?" Ralph spoke in a soft tone.

"I took Peanut outside, and...I didn't pay attention...I was daydreaming! And...and a squirrel ran past...and...Peanut wanted to chase it...I let go of her leash..." Michael continued to cry, tears streaming down his saddened little face once again.

"Michael..." Melissa said in a stern, but fair-sounding voice. She was upset that Michael had failed to keep his promise, but she didn't want to upset the kit any more than he already was. "You _know _we told you to be responsible in helping care for Peanut. And you _promised _us that you would do a good job watching her tonight."

"I know," Michael tearfully replied. "I know..."

"Son, you _should _have been more careful," Ralph firmly replied, hanging up his coat and grabbing a tissue for Michael to dry his eyes and blow his nose. "When you take Peanut outside, you need to watch your surroundings closely and make sure there are no distractions that might cause her to run off. You didn't do that..."

"I'm really sorry, Dad..." Michael sighed as he dried his eyes.

"Do you remember how you felt when you got lost on the camping trip this past summer?" Melissa asked her son.

"Yes, Mom," Michael sighed again, flashing back to that unpleasant memory. "I was so scared and frightened. I didn't know where I was...I thought I was never going to see you and Daddy again..."

"Think of how Peanut probably feels, Mikey," Ralph responded. "She's all alone out there and she's probably confused and scared as she doesn't know where she is. She's still _little, _son. She might not be able to fend for herself out there for very long..."

"I know, Daddy..." Michael replied in a hushed tone of voice. "I'm worried about Peanut..." He had a burning question that he felt he needed to ask his parents. "Mom...Dad...?"

"What is it, Mikey?" Melissa answered him.

"Are you two going to stop loving me...because of this...? I think...I think this is the worst thing I have ever done..." the young kit sadly remarked, tears appearing in his eyes again.

Ralph and Melissa were taken aback by that question. "Goodness, no, son!" Ralph exclaimed.

"Mikey, honey..." Melissa spoke in a more tender voice. "You do remember what I told you, don't you? Your father and I love you no matter what. No matter what happens, you'll always be our special little boy. We could _never _stop loving you; you're too important to us."

"But you and Daddy must be really mad at me..." Michael sighed sadly once more. "I did a very bad thing..."

"We're not mad at you, son," Ralph firmly retorted. "We're just..._very _disappointed in you. We thought you would be more careful in looking after Peanut."

"You _did _do a bad thing, Mikey...but at least you're willing to admit your mistake," Melissa added. "Having said that, don't expect to watch TV or play any video games for the next week..."

"Okay, Mom," Michael quietly remarked. He didn't even care about his punishment; he was just glad his parents still loved him and weren't furious with him like he feared they would be...

"I _told _you they would ztill love you, Mikey," Nicole smiled from the sofa.

"Whatever would make you think that we would stop loving you, son?" Ralph wondered, scratching his head.

"Well, Gary's mom doesn't love him...and he told me the other day he thinks it's because of something he did," Michael answered that question.

"Mikey, honey, Gary's mom doesn't love him because of something he did; she's just not a very nice person," Melissa explained. "She hits his father just about every day. Have you ever seen _me _hit your father?"

"Yes," Michael replied honestly. He had occasionally witnessed Melissa giving Ralph a light tap or punch on the arm. "But I know when you do it you and Daddy are only playing. You never hit him hard enough to hurt..."

"There is a big difference between playing around and actually trying to hurt someone," Ralph explained. "But seriously, son, don't ever think we'd stop loving you."

Michael was relieved, but he was still worried about Peanut. "Daddy, do you think we can find Peanut?"

"I'm not sure," Ralph had to be honest. "We won't be able to find her tonight. It's dark out and she could be anywhere. Searching for her right now might not be the best idea."

"I don't know if we can find her ourselves," Melissa chimed in as well. "The Forest _is _pretty big..."

"Can anyone help us?" Michael wondered.

"Of course," Ralph smiled.

"We were planning to take off work tomorrow," Melissa continued. "But tomorrow, I think we'll head over to the _Standard_'s office. We can print some flyers out to ask if anyone has seen Peanut and post them around the Forest. We can offer a reward and leave our phone number so that if anyone finds her, they can contact us and let us know."

"Do you think that will work?" Michael asked hopefully.

"I can't be sure," Ralph had to admit. While there were certainly plenty of kind and helpful Forest denizens who would be more than happy to help return a lost dog to its' owners, he was also well aware that there were plenty of shady and unsavory types living here that would be more likely to just take the dog and keep her for themselves if they found her. "But it could be a big help."

"Peanut still has her leash and collar on, right?" Melissa asked her son out of curiosity.

"Yes," Michael nodded in reply.

"Her collar has our address and phone number on it," Ralph filled in Michael. "If someone finds her, they'll know who she belongs to."

Michael felt optimistic. "You mean someone nice might find Peanut and bring her home again?"

Ralph and Melissa both nodded. "Hopefully!" they said in unison.

"I am zure you will zee Peanut again, Mikey," Nicole said encouragingly.

Michael was rather hopeful. Although he had lost Peanut, it seemed quite likely that someone would find her and be nice enough to bring her back.

But he didn't know that the people who found her _weren't _entirely nice...

* * *

><p>The next morning was a calm and quiet one. It was a little warmer than yesterday, with a hint of the cool autumn air. Still, that wasn't enough to stop most of the Forest's denizens from enjoying their Saturday...<p>

Although it was late in the year, Evergreen Lake had yet to freeze over. That wouldn't happen until around mid-November. There were still fish out and about in the lake, so a few people took advantage of these last few weeks before the big winter freeze to catch some fish...and this morning, that included three identical triplets...

Lloyd, Boyd, and Floyd were sitting on the dock at Evergreen Lake, fishing poles planted firmly in their hooves. A rather large bait bucket sat on the dock right next to them. The three had been given the day off by their boss, Cedric, to do as they pleased, so they decided to go fishing one last time this year. But needless to say, the three of them weren't exactly happy...

"The Boss ought to be paying us more than we actually get," Lloyd, the eldest of the three and their defacto leader, muttered to himself.

"Maybe, but at least he pays us more than his father ever did!" Floyd remarked. For years, the triplets had worked as Cyril Sneer's personal assistants and servants. They had gotten on the old aardvark's nerves at every turn and corner, had been frequently yelled at, and even been threatened with violence by him. Cyril had also woefully underpaid them, though over the years as his health had failed, he had softened up towards them...

"Well, that may be, boys," Lloyd grunted again, "but that's still not enough." Cedric had completely taken over Sneer Industries after his father had passed away a few years back, and ever since, Cedric had been their boss. He was _much _nicer and more generous towards them than his father had ever been. Despite their total incompetence and their tendency to screw up nearly every job they did, Cedric was highly forgiving and paid them considerably more than Cyril had. He actually let them have Saturdays off; Cyril had never given them a day off in his life. He had even given them enough money to be able to build their own house near Sneer Mansion for the trio to live in. But that _still _wasn't enough to satisfy the pigs.

"How much do you think we should be earning?" Boyd wondered.

"Well, if you ask me," Lloyd said, "fifteen dollars an hour just isn't enough for us. I say for all the hard work we've been doing, we ought to be earning _double _that. What do you think of that?" he grinned.

"Thirty dollars an hour?!" Boyd and Floyd exclaimed excitedly. That thought sounded irresistible to them. That was _significantly _more than the majority of the Forest's working adults earned in an hour. The trio couldn't help it. They were all more than a little greedy, and the thought of earning more money _did _excite them...

"That would be incredible, wouldn't it?" Lloyd laughed.

"You aren't kidding! Think of all the things we could do if we were making _that _kind of money! We could buy every issue of _Mudman_ that's ever been released!" Floyd gushed. They could only dream...

"Ah, but it's only wishful thinking," Lloyd sighed as he turned his attention back to the lake before them. "I doubt the Boss is ever going to pay us _that _much..."

"You're right," sighed Boyd. "I guess we'll just have to live with what we make now..."

"We could always find ways to make some extra money on our own," Floyd piped up.

"Oh, have you got any ideas?" Lloyd glared skeptically at his identical sibling.

Floyd thought to himself for a moment, then shrugged. "I haven't got a clue!"

"I'm sure we'll think up something in time," Lloyd remarked. "But for now, let's just enjoy our day off. We're not going to have many more opportunities to go fishing this year..."

"I guess you're right..." Boyd and Floyd said in unison sadly. The pigs had no luck so far in catching anything. But they were about to get a _big _surprise...

"Ruff! Ruff!" came the sound of a dog's bark. This startled Lloyd so much that he jumped up, dropped his fishing pole, and fell off the dock into the cold water below. "AAAAUUUGGGHHH!"

Boyd and Floyd couldn't help but laugh at how silly Lloyd looked when he crawled out of the lake; reeds and globs of mud covered his face. "Boy, you look really _ridiuclous_, Lloyd! Hahhahaha!" Floyd burst out laughing.

Lloyd scowled. "You won't think it's funny when I catch a cold and you two have to help care for me, will you? What the hell was that all about, anyways?"

"I think that was a dog," Boyd guessed correctly.

"I see it!" Floyd shouted out, pointing at a small brown and white bulldog puppy walking along the lake shore. It was obviously Michael's missing puppy, Peanut, but the Pigs didn't know that. They were surprised to see a dog wandering around all by itself around here.

"It's...a bulldog?" Boyd raised an eyebrow. "What is it doing out here?"

"It's a _she_," Lloyd informed his sibling. "Search me, I haven't a clue. It's probably just some stray, anyways."

"No, it can't be," Floyd shook his head. "She's got a collar and a leash on her. She must be somebody's pet that got lost. Maybe we should take a closer look?"

"I'm not going near her!" Boyd protested. "I heard that bulldogs are _really _mean. We shouldn't go near it! It might bite us!"

"Don't be silly!" Lloyd lightly punched his sibling in the arm. "I don't think this dog will harm us. She looks likes she's a little scared." Indeed, Peanut was staring at them, but it looked like she was rather nervous to see the three strangers. "Let's take a closer look..."

The pork trio stepped towards Peanut and took a closer look at her. Floyd took a closer look at her collar and read the information inscribed on it.

"Uh, I think I know who this dog belongs to..."

"Who?" Boyd wondered.

"I think it belongs to Ralph and Melissa Raccoon. Do you remember the twins said that they got that son of theirs a puppy for his birthday?" Floyd asked.

"I think so," Lloyd nodded.

"Well, that's their address on the collar. This must be their son's new pet," Floyd deduced.

"But how did she end up out here?" Boyd wondered.

"Maybe she got out during the night," Floyd shrugged.

"Or perhaps the little goody two-shoes was too careless to bother watching her," Lloyd chimed in. The pigs-Lloyd, in particular-had never been very fond of Michael. They didn't like his overly kind and sweet demeanor, and they weren't fond of the fact that he had told their boss about some of the mistakes they had made while he stayed at Sneer Mansion...

"I think we should return her to them," Boyd thought aloud.

Lloyd thought for a moment. Suddenly, a seemingly brilliant idea came to his mind. "Return her to those raccoons? Are you kidding? Do you guys know what kind of dog this is?"

"It's a bulldog," Floyd chuckled at how seemingly idiotic his brother was being. "Isn't it obvious?"

"Yes, but aside from that, she's a _purebred__!_" Lloyd exclaimed jubilantly.

"Aren't purebreds worth a lot of money?" Boyd asked.

"From what I know, they usually are...But not only that, they can also _make _a lot of money!"

"Make a lot of money _how_?" Boyd and Floyd wondered. It slipped their minds at that moment.

"Why, by winning dog shows, of course!" Lloyd raised his fist in the air. "Gentlemen, we've found our answer! _This _is how we'll earn that extra money we want! We'll enter this bulldog in dog shows, and when she wins, we'll get lots of money!"

"Oh!" his siblings simultaneously exclaimed.

"And just think if she goes all the way to Westminster and wins there!"

"Westminster?" Floyd remarked. "Isn't that the really big dog show in New York City?"

"The very one!" Lloyd exclaimed. "If she goes all the way there and wins..."

"We'll be in _hog heaven_!" the pigs chuckled. Of course, the three of them were remarkably ignorant. In spite of the fact that they cared for Snag for many years, they weren't aware of the fact that most dog shows didn't give out cash prizes. Plus they would surely end up _losing _money doing such a thing due to how much it would cost to get a dog to compete at championship level shows. But it was typical of the Pigs to think up scatterbrained ideas such as this. In their minds, it made perfect sense.

Floyd was a bit apprehensive, however. "Are you _sure _we should take this dog? Michael is probably missing it dreadfully, and I bet he and his parents are out looking for her..." He didn't like Michael all that much either, but he thought it seemed a bit mean to claim his new pet as their own...

"Ah, I _doubt _they'll miss her that much," Lloyd chuckled. "Besides, if you ask me, the little goody-two shoes deserves it. Whenever his parents drop him off at the Mansion to be looked after while they're out and about, he _always _tells on us when he sees us doing something the Boss doesn't like. Maybe this will teach him a lesson!"

"I'm still not sure this is a good idea..." Floyd gulped. He was afraid of what might happen if they were to be caught with the Raccoon family's pet. They would _surely _get in a lot of trouble...

"Hey, this is too good of an opportunity to pass up!" Lloyd tired to reassure him. "Now let's take her back to our place, boys."

"How are we going to do that?" Boyd scratched his head. To get to their house, they had to pass through the grounds of the Mansion. There was an _excellent _chance that Cedric, Sophia, or the twins would discover them...

"We'll find a way to sneak in," Lloyd informed them. "I know we can. No one else will ever know!" The pigs were committed to their foolhardy plan...

"Alright," Floyd shrugged. "Let's take her back to our place then..."

With that, Lloyd picked up Peanut and took off her collar and leash, throwing them into the bushes nearby. "You're going to make a _great _champion..." Lloyd chuckled as he looked at the little bulldog.

"Ruff...?" Peanut barked, as she was very confused. She didn't know what the pigs were going to do with her...

**END CHAPTER TWO**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**: Well, that was Chapter Two! Took me a while, but I finally got this finished! Peanut has gotten lost thanks to Michael being irresponsible, much to his chagrin, and even worse, the Pigs have gotten their hooves on her and are planning to make a show dog out of her! This is the first thing I've actually really written for the Pigs; I hope I didn't get them TOO out of character. (If nothing else, trying to make a dog they found wandering around in the Forest into a dog show sounds like something I could see them trying to do...they aren't exactly bright...) Few little notes...

Bea, the little raccoon girl who you see at Michael's birthday party, is a character who was created by my friend David31...although she was only a bit character in a story he wrote based on my own words. I thought I could do something more with the character, though...so I decided to use her in my own stories (used with permission, in case you are wondering; I will ALWAYS ask if I want to use someone else's original character). She obviously has a crush on little Michael, and that's something you will see explored further in my next (and final) one-off story starring Michael Raccoon...

Michael watching Thomas the Tank Engine...I grew up on Thomas the Tank Engine, and still have all the old videotapes from when I was a kid. (The show's nearly as old as the Raccoons TV series itself I don't watch the show these days (I _tried _to, but it's changed so much I can barely recognize it!), but I still have a fondness for the really old episodes and occasionally watch them from time to time. The episode Michael and Nicole are watching is an episode from the first season called "Whistles And Sneezes" and that is indeed actual narration from the real episode (I obviously don't own that...). That was one of the most memorable episodes for me from when I was a kid; Henry teasing Gordon with the same words he used to mock him at the start of the episode stuck in the back of my mind for years! Sometimes, you have to write what you know...

And finally...Yes, in case you're wondering, I did take the idea of the laser rock show from Family Guy. Believe it or not, until a couple of years ago or so, I actually had no idea that museums actually held such things in real life; I thought they made that up for Family Guy! (Shows that I need to get out more...) I just thought it would be amusing to have Ralph and Melissa going to one at the Evergreen Museum...As for the song we see Bert and Maxie dancing around to..."Let's Spend The Night Together" by the Rolling Stones (again, I obviously I do not own that). A song that was considered very lewd and obscene when it came out in 1967, to the point that many radio stations banned it and the Stones had to perform a censored version of it on the Ed Sullivan Show called "Let's Spend Some Time Together"...Funny, because nowadays, that song is quite _tame _compared to some stuff that's popular these days!

Anyways, that was Chapter 2. Next time, in Chapter 3 (the final chapter), Ralph, Melissa, and Michael find Peanut's leash and collar and assume something terrible must have happened to her...until Michael discovers that the Pigs have his puppy. Will Michael get her back? And how? You'll just have to wait and see...


	3. Peanut, Come Home!

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **Who else but me to turn a simple little one-off story into a three chapter long fic, huh? :D Anyways, this story has been a pretty up and down one so far. Young Michael Raccoon wanted a puppy for his birthday, as he felt he was more than responsible enough to look after one at his age. His loving parents, Ralph and Melissa debated about it and decided to get him one as a birthday gift. They got a bulldog puppy from an employee of Ralph's at the _Evergreen Standard_, which the little kit promptly named Peanut. In the last chapter, we saw Michael loving his new pet and quickly growing quite close to her. But one night, while his parents were out enjoying themselves and his Aunt Nicole was looking after him, Michael let his guard down when he took Peanut outside and allowed her to run off into the woods. Michael was crushed to see his puppy run away, but Ralph and Melissa promised their son that they would help get her back. Unfortunately, the Pigs found Peanut the next day and, looking for a way to make some more money, decided to make her their champion show dog! Now, we've reached the third and final chapter of this little tale. Will Michael ever see Peanut again? Will the Pigs actually succeed in making Peanut a championship winner? Will I stop asking these silly questions? You probably already know the answer to all three of these questions, but I hope you'll stay tuned for...

**CHAPTER THREE: Peanut, Come Home!**

A few days have passed in the Evergreen Forest. Just a couple of days ago, little Michael Raccoon made one of the biggest mistakes of his young life...losing his new puppy, Peanut. But luckily for him, his parents, although they were not pleased with him and scolded him for his irresponsibility, forgave him and did their best to reassure him that he hadn't lost their love. They promised him that they would help him get Peanut safely back home again in any way they could...

And the very next day, that's just what his parents did. That morning, Ralph and Melissa had gone to the _Standard_'s office, even though it was supposed to be an off day from work for them. They had taken Michael with them as they didn't want to leave him home by himself; at least they could keep an eye on him around the office. Together, the family had printed up about fifty or so "Have You Seen Me?" posters, leaving their phone number and both their home and work address for anyone who had information to contact them at.

Then they proceeded to go around the Forest and paste them up in the hopes that diligent Forest denizens would keep a good lookout for the lost bulldog. They pasted them up at the Blue Spruce Cafe, George's restaurant, Lock Links Country Club...anywhere they felt certain plenty of people were sure to see their posters. Ralph and Melissa knew there was no guarantee that anyone would contact them with information on the missing Peanut, but they both tried to keep their hopes up. Their son was very depressed over losing his new pet; they just wanted nothing more than to see him happy again._  
><em>

But alas, the days passed and there was no news of Peanut. The couple hadn't received any calls, e-mails, or anything of the sort. Now it was Tuesday morning, and they both knew that the longer time passed, the less likely it was that Peanut would _ever _be found...

It was a rather busy morning at the _Evergreen Standard_'s office. Ralph was sitting at his computer desk, typing up an article about a series of concerts that was scheduled to come to the Forest Bowl next spring. He was soon interrupted from his work by a familiar voice...

"Here you go, sir; I've got my food column for this week all ready!" It was Bobby Jacks, a grey squirrel in his mid-30s who was one of the new hires Ralph and Melissa made when they expanded their paper's staff. He was an amateur chef who had worked at George's restuarant. They had hired as their full-time food columnist, as their former part-time columnist, Ricky, had left the Forest for the big city. Ralph quite liked Bobby; he was very polite and formal, plus he always seemed to be the first one to finish his weekly columns. "I was working on it ahead of time this past weekend, I just printed it out for you."

"Ah, well, leave it on my desk, Bobby," Ralph nodded. Bobby obliged and placed the finished column on his boss' desk. Ralph picked it up and quickly skimmed through it. "Huh. Peanut butter chicken pot pie?" he raised an eyebrow. "Huh, well, Bobby, I think I know someone who would get a real kick out of this recipe!" he chuckled.

"Oh, I know, I know..." Bobby chuckled as well. He was well aware of his co-worker Bert's enthusiasm for all things peanut butter. "Say, has there been any information about your son's missing dog? I've seen the posters you and your wife put up, but I was wondering if anyone had called saying they had any news..."

Ralph sighed. "No, Bobby. No one's contacted us with any information about Peanut, I'm afraid. I'm trying my best to keep my hopes up, but I can't say I'm very optimistic anyone will come forward with anything helpful..." Ralph quickly scratched his chin. "Wait, you didn't happen to see anything, did you, Bobby?"

"No, sir, I'm afraid I haven't," Bobby shook his head. "Like I said, I've seen the posters and my wife and I have been keeping an eye out everywhere we've gone these past couple of days, but we haven't seen any trace of her. I was just hopin' maybe someone had some news...I can only imagine how your son must be taking it..."

"Oh, he's not taking it very well at all," Ralph sighed once again, the image of his son's saddened face flashing through his mind. "He's _really _been taking it very hard; he feels so upset that he lost our pet. I don't think I've seen him even smile _once _these past three days. I'd do anything to see that bright smiling face of his again..." he trailed off.

"Well, maybe you will. Let me say, I _do _hope someone finds your lost dog, sir..." With that, Bobby headed back for his desk.

Ralph soon returned to the article he'd been working on. He couldn't help but feel distracted, though...he was wondering if someone, _anyone_, would have any information concerning Peanut...

About an hour later, a visitor came to the _Standard_'s office and strode up to Ralph's desk. "Hello, Ralph. I see you're hard at work today, huh?"

Ralph nearly jumped out of his seat; he hadn't been expecting any visitors. "Woah! Heheh, you startled me, Schaeffer. I wasn't expecting you to drop by here today, you know!" Ralph nervously laughed, trying to regain his composure.

"I hope it's not a bad time, Ralph...?" Schaeffer chuckled.

"No, not at all," Ralph managed to crack a grin at his friend. "What brings you here, anyways? You usually don't drop by here unless you have some big news for the _Standard_..."

"Well, as a matter of fact...I _do _have some very big news, Ralph," Schaeffer informed him.

"Oh...New acts at the Blue Spruce Cafe, I take it?" Ralph wondered aloud.

"Well, I managed to book Edwin and Jimmy Summer for Halloween," Schaeffer replied. "And to think, I thought Woodchuck Berry was going to be the only formerly high-profile act I'd ever to get play at the Cafe!"

"I remember Edwin Summer, but not Jimmy..." Ralph remarked. "Edwin Summer...I remember that hit instrumental he had...What was it called? '_Dracula' _or something like that? I remember Bert used to have that single back in the day..."

"Yes, that's the one," Schaeffer nodded, humming a bit of the tune himself.

"Hmm, well, I'm sure that'll be quite a show...Maybe Melissa and I'll go see it," Ralph idly remarked.

"That's not why I came here though, Ralph...I have some news concerning your missing dog, Peanut."

Ralph's ears perked up. "Peanut? You have news about...Peanut?" This was what he had been hoping to hear for the past three days. Perhaps Schaeffer had found the missing bulldog..."You mean...you found her...?"

"Well, yes, and...no," Schaeffer answered.

Ralph was confused. "Yes and no? What do you mean...?"

"Well, I was out for a walk this morning," the sheepdog began to explain, "near Evergreen Lake. I was just trudging along through some bushes when..."

"When what...?" Ralph interrupted. He could hardly wait to hear what his old friend had to say next...

"I stepped on something soft and almost lost my balance. I stooped down to see what it was...and..." Schaeffer sighed, "I found _this._" He then proceeded to produce a little red dog collar, with a leash still attached to it. He handed it to Ralph, who proceeded to take a closer look at what was inscribed on the dog collar...

It was at that moment that Melissa stepped out of her photo lab for a quick break. "Oh, hi there, Schaeffer," Melissa smiled and waved to the sheepdog. "What brings you here?"

"Melissa..." Ralph answered her, holding up the collar and leash for her to look at. "Look at _this_..."

"Huh, what's this...?" Melissa took a closer look at the collar her husband was holding and read the inscribed words on it. She recognized them _right _away..."Ralph...is...is this...what I think it is...?"

"I'm afraid so," Ralph heaved a very heavy sigh. "This is _Peanut's _collar...with her leash still attached, too..."

Melissa almost instantly felt rather sad. "Schaeffer...you found this...?" she asked.

"I did," Schaeffer nodded. "And I knew you two needed to see this."

"But Michael said she was _wearing _her collar when he lost her," Melissa remarked.

"Maybe she got it caught on something and broke free from it?" Ralph tried to be optimistic.

"She couldn't have!" Melissa vehemently shook her head. "I always made sure her collar was on tight...and besides, look at this. Do you see that? It looks like someone _took _off her collar..."

"I hate to say this, you two..." Schaeffer grimly said. "But I believe someone has probably kidnapped Peanut."

"Kidnapped Peanut?!" Ralph and Melissa both gasped. That was _the_ worst case scenario they could think of. They knew there were many unsavory types around the Forest who would have no qualms with taking someone else's dog, even _if _that dog clearly had an owner and a family...they only wondered _who _could have taken her, and what on Earth they might possibly be doing to her..._  
><em>

"I would think so," Schaeffer nodded.

"Oh, this is _terrible__, _dear..." Melissa uttered in a solemn voice. "What's Michael going to think when he sees this and we tell him someone has taken his pet? I can't imagine how he'll take it...he's going to be so _heartbroken..._"

"I know, honey..." Ralph softly quipped. "It pains me to think of how he'll probably react to seeing this...But we _have _to tell him, you know...When he comes home from school this afternoon, I _know _he'll be asking us about Peanut..."

"We'll just have to come out and tell him, I guess..." Melissa glanced downwards. Telling Michael that he was more than likely not going to see his puppy again was going to be one of _the _hardest things they had ever done...but they knew it was better for them to tell their son the truth as opposed to lying to him...

That afternoon, Michael headed home from school. It had been a very long day and he was just eager to be home again soon. But he couldn't help but feel anxious.

"_Peanut is still out there somewhere..._" Michael thought to himself as the front door of the Raccoondominium came into view. "_Mom and Dad said if anyone saw here, they'd be sure to let them know. Maybe someone found her..._" He was trying his best to remain optimistic; he was hopeful that maybe, _just _maybe, Peanut would be there waiting for him once again when he came home.

Michael soon opened the front door to find his parents sitting there on the couch before him, with glum expressions occupying their faces.

"Hi Mom, hi Dad, I'm home," Michael called out to them.

"Hi, honey..." Melissa tried to sound excited, but it was clear from her tone of voice she wasn't...

"Hello, son. It's great to see you again..." Ralph sighed, making no effort to hide the grimness in his voice.

"What's the matter, Mom? Dad?" Michael wondered. Why did they look so sad? They were usually always so happy to see him. He decided to change the subject. "Did anybody say anything about Peanut at work today?" he asked, innocently.

"Son...about that," Ralph replied, trying to think of what he would tell his young son.

"That's what we need to talk to you about, Mikey..." Melissa added. "Someone _did _come by our office today with news about Peanut..."

Michael's ears immediately perked up. He couldn't help but feel excited. "Really? Someone saw Peanut?" Hope quickly filled the young kit; if someone had seen Peanut, there was a good chance that he would see her again soon...

"Well, sort of..." Melissa explained. "Mr. Schaeffer dropped by our office this morning. He told us he found something in the bushes by the lake..."

"What did Mr. Schaeffer see, Mommy?" Michael wondered.

"He found..._this_..." Ralph tried his best to keep his composure as he produced Peanut's collar and leash for his son to see.

"Huh...that's...Peanut's collar...and her leash!" Michael exclaimed upon taking a closer look. "Mr. Schaeffer found her collar and leash...but...but wait a minute..." the little kit remembered, "she was wearing her collar when I let go of her leash..." Michael was confused. "Mom, where's Peanut?"

"Michael...honey, I know this is going to be very hard for you to hear, but there's no easy way around this..." Melissa sighed, bracing herself for how her little son would react. "We think someone...snatched Peanut..."

Michael's jaw dropped as his ears immediately drooped. "What...?! Sn-sn-snatched Peanut?!" he gasped. "You mean...you mean...someone...stole her?"

"That's what we think happened, son, yes," Ralph nodded.

Tears began to stream down the young kit's face. "B-b-b-but..." he spluttered, frantically looking for words, "how-how could somebody steal Peanut?!"

"You know very well that not everybody in the Forest is nice, Michael..." Ralph tried to explain.

"There are plenty of people in this Forest who would take things that belong to others without a care, I'm sorry to say," Melissa added. "Some people are just _cold _like that, honey..."

"But I don't understand..." Michael said through his tears. "I just don't understand...why...why someone would take Peanut!? She's _our _dog!" he began to sob. "Can't you call the police?"

"Call the police?" Melissa repeated.

"Yes," Michael tearfully pleaded. He remembered how last month a local officer of the Evergreen Police Department had come to visit his school. She had taught Michael and the other kids about crime prevention, and that if they ever saw someone commit a crime or knew a crime had been committed that they should call the police..."We _should _call the police, Mommy! Won't they be able to help find Peanut...?"

"Michael, honey," Melissa replied sympathetically as she scooped Michael up and cradled him in her arms. "Calling the police would be a good idea, but I'm afraid I don't think they would be of much help in this situation."

"Why not...?!" the little kit wondered.

"Well, we don't know _who _took Peanut, why, or what they even did with her. They might not even live in the Forest; anybody could have Peanut, and she could be anywhere right now...We can't even be sure that someone actually _did _kidnap her," Ralph sighed. He didn't feel the police could be of any real help to them in this situation. "I'm sorry, son, I really am..."

"Oh, Daddy..." Michael teared up again as he sobbed once more. "Does...does this mean...Peanut is gone..._forever_?"

"We can't say that for sure..." Ralph sighed. "But I wouldn't get your hopes up, Michael..."

Michael continued to bawl his little eyes out, right into his mother's chest. Melissa promptly tightened her embrace around her crying little son. It _pained _her so much to see her child so sad like this, but she knew it had been for the best that they told him that, and she was doing her best to provide whatever comfort to Michael that she could.

"It's okay, Michael; it'll be okay..." she softly whispered, gently patting her son's back.

"I'm the worst dog owner _ever_..." Michael choked out between his sobs. "I lost Peanut forever and it's all **my **fault..."

"There, there, honey..." Melissa hugged him a little tighter as she continued to pat him gently, tearing up herself. "Mommy's here..."

"I'm here too, son," Ralph replied in a comforting tone as he quickly placed a warm paw on his son's back, hoping to provide some comfort as well. "It's okay, son...We're here for you..."

Michael cried for what seemed to be hours on end. His parents did their best to try to make him feel better about the whole situation, and eventually the little kit calmed down. But he was still mopey and sad, and there wasn't much Ralph and Melissa could do to make him feel better. That night, they kindly let Michael sleep in their bed with them, knowing he would probably not want to sleep alone and figuring it would help offer support.

But even so, it didn't help Michael much. He couldn't believe he lost Peanut, and even worse, someone had found her and almost certainly taken her for themselves to keep. That night, Michael had a very restless sleep as he tossed and turned all night long. He just felt so terribly miserable over what had happened...

* * *

><p>A few days passed, and the temperatures in the Forest continued to dip a little lower. Winter was right around the corner...it surely wouldn't be much more than another month before the first snow of the year came...and one young Forest resident's mood matched the gloomier weather to a T.<p>

It was Friday afternoon, and Michael's class was out at recess. Normally, Michael would be having fun playing with his young friends...but not today.

Ever since Michael had lost Peanut, he had been quite mopey and depressed. Finding out that someone had stolen Peanut depressed him even further, and over the past few days he had been in a very glum mood. He hadn't eaten much and he hadn't felt like talking much, not even to his own parents. Instead of playing with his friends, he spent pretty much his whole recess sitting at a picnic table in the schoolyard alone. He just didn't feel like having fun knowing what happened to Peanut. Honestly, he didn't know if he would _ever _feel happy again.

"Michael, what's wrong?" a familiar voice asked. It was Roy Payne, a young Siberian Husky classmate of Michael's whose family had just moved to the Forest from Edmonton this past year. He had a difficult time getting adjusted to his new surroundings, especially since he was used to life in the big city, but Michael had managed to befriend him and the two liked to hang out together. "You haven't played with me or talked to me in a few days. Is something wrong?"

Michael glanced up at his friend, but quickly gazed back down at his feet. "Go away, Roy..." he sighed.

"Why?" Roy didn't quite understand. "I'm worried about you, Mikey. We're all worried about you," he replied. "What's wrong? Please tell me..."

"I don't want to talk now, Roy..." Michael sighed.

He was about to have even more company...he was quickly joined by another of Michael's friends, Chester Marmor, a snowy-white, albino raccoon kit. "Is it OK for us to talk to you, Mikey?" Chester asked.

Michael didn't want to see his friends right now. "Please leave me alone, guys..." he sighed. "I don't want to talk..."

"We're not trying to bother you, Mikey," Chester spoke up. "We've just been worried about you the last few days. You don't play with us anymore. Every day this week, you just sit at the table by yourself. You don't talk much. We want to know what's wrong."

"Are you still sad about Peanut?" Roy asked innocently.

Michael sighed. His friends only wanted to talk to him and make sure everything was alright; there surely was no harm in chatting with them for a little while. "Alright, sit down, you guys, I'll talk..."

"You're still sad about Peanut, aren't you?" Chester asked in a sympathetic voice.

"Yeah..." Michael sighed. "I lost her all because I wasn't paying attention..."

"Well, I think we all make mistakes, Mikey," Roy replied.

"Yeah, but I just feel so..._stupid_ for losing her," Michael mentally kicked himself. "I was too busy daydreaming to hold on to her leash when that squirrel ran by. If only I had paid attention..."

"Mikey," Chester placed an arm around his friend. "You make better grades than us; how can you be stupid? Roy's right! We all make mistakes. Last month I broke Mama's favorite dish when I tried to help her clean the dishes. I felt stupid, but Mama said it was only an accident!"

"But I can't believe I lost her..." Michael sighed. "And now somebody's gone and taken her, and I'll never see her again...all I have is her collar..."

"You really miss her, don't you?" Roy replied in a warm tone of voice.

"I do," Michael let another small sigh. "I do...I only had her for a month, but I had so much fun with her. I thought we were going to be together forever, and now she's gone...Losing Peanut has been so _hard_..."

"I know how you feel, Mikey," Roy replied. "I lost my pet hamster last year. It was before we moved here. I cried for days, but Mom told me that I wouldn't be sad forever. And I wasn't! I'm sure you'll feel better soon..."

"I hope so..." Michael gazed up at the sky. He knew his friends meant well, but they weren't really helping him much. "I just wish I knew where Peanut was and how she's doing..."

"Who knows? Maybe she'll come home again, Mikey!" Chester tried to be optimistic.

"Oh, I doubt it..."

"Well, you never know!" Chester interjected, as he quickly changed the subject. "So who do you think took her, Mikey?" Chester asked.

"I don't know. A bad person, I guess," he shrugged. "Someone who likes dogs..."

"Maybe she was taken by a queen snake," Roy blurted out.

Michael's eyebrows raised. "A...queen snake...?"

"Yes, a queen snake," Roy replied firmly. "They're the most horrible monsters ever."

"What do they look like...?" Michael asked, feeling a little scared.

"My Dad told me they're the most frightening thing you could ever see," the Husky exclaimed in a frenzied manner. "They're fifty feet long and have fangs as big as your head! They have the most horrible roar, and the worst breath you could ever imagine! Dad said that they like to kidnap lost children and take them to their holes so they can _eat _them! Maybe one of _them _took Peanut..."

Michael couldn't help but shudder imagining such a horrible creature making off with his puppy...that is, until he remembered something his father had shown him. "Wait a minute...Daddy showed me a book of wildlife not too long ago. I saw a picture of a queen snake and they don't look like that..."

"Roy, do you believe everything your father tells you?" Chester couldn't help but laugh. "My father knows the Forest like the back of his paw, and he says queen snakes don't live here!" If anyone would know, it would be Chester. The Marmor family were a rugged mountain family, among the very first to settle in this area many years ago...they knew all the ins and outs of the Forest.

"Well, believe what you like!" Roy shook his fist. "But I still think it was probably a queen snake!" This did at least get a little chuckle out of Michael. Roy was a nice kid and a good friend, but he was by and _far _the most superstitious kid Michael knew. He though he had an overactive imagination...and then he had met Roy. He seemed to believe _everything _he was told, no matter how silly it was...Roy reminded him quite a lot of his "Uncle" Bert...

"Okay, Roy," Chester rolled his eyes as he glanced back towards Michael. "Michael, we're sorry about Peanut, and we hope-"

But he didn't get much further before he was interrupted by the sound of another familiar voice...one Michael _dreaded _hearing...

"Well, well, if it isn't the little cry baby who lost his puppy!" came the voice of Scott Searle, a large, burly ferret in Michael's class. Scott was a year older than Michael, like his friends Cecil and Sylvia, but he had failed all of his classes last year, and had been held back a grade, hence why Michael was in the same class as he was. He was well known for being quite a bully; he enjoyed picking on and making of fun other kids who he felt were weaker than he was. Unfortunately, that included Michael...Michael cringed remembering how Scott stole his lunch on the first day of school this year...

"Don't pay any attention to him, Mikey," Roy tried to be helpful. "He's only gonna try to make you feel bad."

"Go away, Scott..." Michael turned away, not wanting to hear any of it.

"Haha, what's the matter, little baby? You want your mommy? Waaaah! Waaaah! I'm so sad! I want my Mommy! Mommy will make everything better! Waaaaaahhh!" Scott laughed, rubbing his eyes as he imitated crying.

"Please go away..." Michael tried not to pay him any attention, but he wasn't doing a very good job of ignoring him...

"Or what? You'll go home crying to your Mommy? What's she gonna do to help you?" Scott continued to laugh. "Hey, maybe your dog ran away because she didn't want a little wimp for an owner, like you! Hahahahaa!"

Tears welled up in the young kit's eyes; those words hurt...a _lot_.

"You leave him alone!" Chester scowled as he stood up and glared at Scott's face. He _hated _bullies like Scott...seeing as he was an albino raccoon, he had to put up with bullying and teasing from time to time as well. "Mikey's had a hard few days and that's the _last _thing he needs to hear right now!"

"Well, what are _you _going to do about it?!" a now intimidated-sounding Scott retorted.

"Why don't you pick on someone your own size?!" Chester snapped. "Like _me_. Why don't you pick on _me_?!"

Scott quickly backed away. He may have been one of the biggest and strongest kids in his class, but he knew Chester was even stronger than he was, and he would _never _dare pick a fight with him. "Ah, you're not worth it, cry baby," Scott scoffed as he walked. "See ya later, losers!"

"Thank you, Chester," Michael smiled at his friend, glad that he had stood up for him.

"No problem, Mikey...somebody ought to punch that kid in the nose..." he growled. "Anyways...wow, I think recess is almost over. We know things are rough for you, Mikey. But you can always talk to us! We're here for you!"

"Yeah," Roy chimed in. "Me, Chester, Gary, Cecil, Sylvia...we're all your friends, Mikey. We do care about you, you know!" he smiled. "We'll talk to you later, Mikey. Hope things get better for you!"

"Thanks, guys," Michael waved as his friends got up and headed back out towards the playground. He appreciated the fact that they cared about him and wanted to help him feel better, but they hadn't helped _much_...

* * *

><p>Later that afternoon, Melissa Raccoon was hard at work dusting the Raccoondominum's living room. She and Ralph had taken the day off from work at the <em>Standard. <em>Ralph had gone to visit Bert and Maxie for a little while as he had something he wanted to talk to them about, but Melissa had declined to go, as the house had grown quite dirty over the past week and she figured it was high time she did a little cleaning. Besides, she always did like a little alone time to herself..."_This place'll look spotless when I'm through!_" Melissa chuckled to herself.

Melissa dusted off the coffee table as she hummed a happy little tune to herself. It was at that moment that her gaze turned to the clock on the wall. "Ooh, it's almost 3:30," she murmured to herself. "Michael should be home any minute!" She couldn't wait to see her little son again...But then she remembered how depressed Michael had been the past few days, including this morning when he headed off for school. "He's been so quiet and mopey these past few days," she sighed. "He's really taking Peanut's loss hard..." She really wanted to talk to him more about it, but he had yet to open up to her..."Well, maybe he'll feel better today," she tried to be hopeful.

It was at that very moment that she heard the front door of the Raccoondominium open. Melissa put her duster down as she turned around. Sure enough, there was Michael, hanging up his little backpack on the hook on the wall. She promptly outstretched her arms, hoping for a hug from her son.

"Hi, honey," Melissa spoke up in a sweet tone of voice. "I'm glad you're home again."

"I'm glad I'm home again too, Mom..." Michael trailed off, not even gazing at his mother.

"How was school today, Mikey?" Melissa asked hopefully.

"_Rotten_, Mom," Michael grunted, still not even gazing at her.

"You don't want a hug?" Melissa asked her son worriedly, as he walked right past her and headed for the stairs. It was _extremely _rare for her son to not want a hug when he came home from school...

"No, Mom, I just want to go to my room..." he groaned as he slowly trudged up the stairs to his room, closing the door behind him. He then propped his head up on the pillows and gazed up at his ceiling. He couldn't think of anything else better to do; his parents had taken away his TV and video game privileges when he lost Peanut...he just wanted to be alone with his thoughts right now.

But a few minutes later, the young kit heard a soft knock on his bedroom door. "Mikey, honey, it's me...your mother. Do you mind if I come in here for a little while?"

"I want to be alone right now, Mom..." Michael sighed, hoping she would just go away. But Melissa wasn't so easily deterred.

"Michael, sweetie, you've been really mopey for the past few days. You haven't talked very much at all lately; you just want to be alone all the time. I know you're still upset about Peanut, and I really want to talk to you about it. I promise I'll only be in here for a few minutes..."

Michael relented. "Okay, Mommy...you can come in," he let out a deep sigh. With that, Melissa opened the bedroom door, climbing up on the bed beside her little kit as she draped her warm arm around him.

"Mikey, you said you had a rotten day at school today. What happened?" Melissa asked in a sympathetic voice.

Michael sighed again as he began to explain. "Scott Searle picked on me at recess today. He called me a big cry baby and said that Peanut ran away because she didn't want a wimp for an owner..."

Melissa's expression grew more concerned. "Scott made fun of you again...Oh dear. Well, that wasn't very nice of him. He certainly isn't a very nice kid...He didn't try to steal your lunch again...did he?" She knew Michael was a frequent bully target and that he was no fighter; she hated to hear that the other children had been picking on her son...

"No...that's all he did. But Chester stood up to him and told him to leave me alone, and he went away," Michael managed to crack a smile. "I was glad Chester was there because I didn't want to fight him..."

"Chester Marmor did that? That was very kind of him," Melissa flashed a little smile at her son. "I like Chester; I really do. He's tough, but he's very kind-hearted. You have a good friend in him, honey." Melissa was glad that Michael had friends who were willing to stick up for him, but she _did _hope someday that he would be a little more brave and be willing to stand up for himself...

"I know; I like his family, too," Michael cracked a smile. He remember how last year Chester had asked him to come spend a night at his house for a sleepover. Their parents agreed to it, and so it had been arranged. Michael found it very awkward at first; the Marmors were very different from his family. They were very old-fashioned; they didn't even a television in their household because they felt they had no need for one. But they had been very kind and accommodating towards him, and Michael had loved his visit. He hoped someday he could sleepover at Chester's house again...

"The Marmors are certainly quite a family," Melissa smiled.

"I guess today wasn't all rotten, then," Michael piped up after a few minutes. "Roy and Chester talked to me a lot during recess. They said that all my friends are really worried about me..."

"Well, I don't blame them," his mother replied. "You've been very quiet and have kept to yourself these past few days; of _course _they would be worried about you. You may not have many friends, you know, but you're lucky to have the ones you do. They _do _really care about you, you know..."

"I know," Michael nodded. "They told me so. They tried to help make me feel better, but I didn't really feel better..."

"At least they cared enough to try to help," Melissa tried to look on the bright side.

"Yeah..." Michael trailed off. "I still just feel so..._bad _about losing Peanut. Mommy...I can't help it. I feel _stupid _for losing Peanut..." he remarked lowly. "If only I'd been paying attention when I took her outside, I wouldn't have let go of her leash and she would still be here..."_  
><em>

"Michael, honey," Melissa whispered comfortingly as gently tussled with the fur on her son's head. "You are _not _stupid for losing Peanut. You are a very bright, sweet, and thoughtful little child, and I'm proud to call you my son. You just made a mistake, honey. You don't need to beat yourself up over it..."

"That's what Chester was trying to tell me...he said everyone makes mistakes..."

"And Chester is right," Melissa nodded emphatically. "Everyone _does _make mistakes. You are just a kid; I'm sure you'll learn from your mistakes as you grow. Would you believe _I _made a lot of mistakes when I was a kid?"

Michael was surprised to hear that. "You made a lot of mistakes when you were a kid, Mommy?" He found that rather hard to believe...

"Goodness me! Yes, I did, Mikey. Have I ever told you about what happened when I got my first camera?" she cracked a smile.

Michael was now curious. "No, Mom. What happened?"

"Well, when I was just a little girl, about your age, I lived in the big city with my father-your grandfather," Melissa explained. "When I turned eight years old, my father got me a camera for my birthday."

"Is that how you became a photographer, Mom?" Michael asked innocently.

"Well, I guess that's how I got my start," she chuckled. "My father told me that my mother had been a photographer, and he thought it might make a nice little hobby for me. I remember taking a lot of photos around my house at that time," Melissa continued to explain.

"What happened to you, though?"

"Well, my father told me to be _extra _careful with that camera and not to break it," Melissa continued her story. "Do you want to know what I did at school the next day?"

"What did you do...?"

"At recess, I decided to climb up the tallest tree at my school's playground to get some better pictures," Melissa managed to chuckle.

"You climbed a tree to take pictures...Why did you do that?" Michael could hardly believe his mother would have done something so silly.

"Don't ask me, honey...I don't know what I was thinking. I guess at the time, it made sense to me," she continued to chuckle. "As I'm sure you can guess...I lost my balance trying to climb the tree and fell out of it."

"Did you break the camera, Mommy?"

"Yes, I did; and my arm, too!" Melissa laughed.

"_Ouch!_" Michael cringed. "That must have really hurt, Mom! Did you have to go to the hospital?"

"You bet I did," Melissa nodded. "I had to have my arm in a cast for weeks. That was my good throwing arm, too; I couldn't play baseball for a couple of months afterwards!"

"That must not have been a lot of fun..."

"No, it wasn't. I can look back and laugh at the whole thing now, but that was a really dumb thing of me to do!" Melissa laughed again. "See, Michael, my point is that everyone does bad things when they're a kid. Some worse than others...But you _are _a good boy, Michael. I know you'll learn from your mistakes."

"I hope so..." Michael sighed. "It's just...losing Peanut is _hard_. I only had her for a month, but I was really close to her..." his voice lowered.

"I understand, honey," Melissa smiled, her warm baby blue eyes gazing comfortingly into her son's own chocolate ones. "Believe it or not, I know what it's like to lose a pet, Mikey."

That was news to Michael. "You lost a pet, Mommy?"

"Yes, I did," Melissa nodded. "When I was very young, just like you, I lost my very first pet."

Michael wanted to know more. He found himself feeling quite fascinated; learning more about his mother's life when she was his age. "What kind of dog was she?"

"He, actually, and he wasn't a dog," Melissa explained. "When I was a little girl, I had a pet cat. A little orange tiger-striped cat...the cutest little thing you ever saw," she smiled fondly as she remembered her first pet.

"What was his name?"

"Harvey," Melissa answered her son.

"Why Harvey?" Michael curiously asked.

"No reason, I guess...I can't remember why I named him Harvey; maybe I just liked the name," she shrugged. "Anyways, my father and I found Harvey on our doorstep one rainy day coming home from school. He was just a little kitten then; he could easily fit in your paw. I remember that I had a _really _bad day at school and I immediately wanted to keep him. My father said 'no' at first, but he gave in and let me keep him," she beamed happily once more.

"Was Harvey a nice cat, Mommy?"

"Oh, yes, he was! He was the sweetest little thing...I remember he'd always roll right over so I could scratch his little tummy. He'd purr like crazy when I did that!" Melissa laughed heartily.

"I bet you and Harvey had a lot of fun," Michael grinned at his mother. "But...what happened to him?" he asked cautiously, realizing that talking about the loss of her pet could be stressful for his mother.

"Well, my father and I had Harvey for only a couple of years before he started to get very sick," Melissa began to lament, remembering how hard it had been to see her little cat so ill. "He would hardly eat any of his food. He became very sluggish and wouldn't move around very much at all. He started going to the bathroom a _lot _more often than he should have. He even yowled out in pain some nights."

"What was wrong with him?"

"Well, my father and I didn't know what was wrong with Harvey, but eventually, he got so bad we had no choice but to take him to the vet to see what we could do to help him..."

"What was wrong with Harvey?" Michael asked his mother again.

"They said he was very sick and in a _lot _of pain," Melissa explained. She remembered how all those years ago the vet had told her that Harvey's kidneys were failing..."The vet said there was nothing we could do that would make him better, so we did the kindest thing we could do for him..."

"What's that, Mommy?" the little kit gazed up at his mother.

"We..." Melissa sighed, "We had to have Harvey put to sleep, honey..."

Michael was not familiar with that expression. "What does...'put to sleep' mean, Mom?"

"Well..." Melissa tried her best to explain, "they put a little needle in him, and he soon fell asleep. He never woke up again..."

"Oh," Michael quietly responded. He understood what death was; his mother and father had explained it to him when a classmate of his had drowned in a canoeing accident the previous summer. "Were you sad to lose Harvey?"

"Yes, I was, honey," Melissa nodded knowingly. "It was _very _hard losing my little cat. I was happy that he wasn't suffering any more, but I felt so sad knowing I would never see him again. I probably cried for several days afterwards; I just missed him so much...I even wondered if _I _was to blame for Harvey getting sick."

"Poor Mommy..." Michael whispered to himself. He never knew his mother had gone through something like he had. "How did you feel better, though?"

"Well, my father told me that there was nothing wrong feeling sad about losing my pet," she exclaimed, "but that it was a part of life. Sometimes, bad things happen to us and we don't know why they happen, but there's nothing we can do about it. It's all a part of life. My father told me that as time passed by, I'd feel better. And you know what?"

"What?" Michael asked.

"I _did _feel better. It took me about a week, but after a while, I did feel better. And life went on," Melissa smiled.

"Grandpa must have been very wise..." Michael mused. "You always tell me about the things he told you when you were little..." He then glanced up at his mother. "Was Grandpa as wise as Skarloey, Mommy?"

"Skarloey...?" Melissa was confused at first, but she quickly recognized that name; she'd sat through enough Thomas the Tank Engine videos and read enough of the books to know that Skarloey was the name of the wise, elderly narrow-gauge engine who was over a hundred years old. Michael had always particularly liked Skarloey and the other narrow gauge engines from the show, perhaps because they were small like him...

Melissa had to chuckle at her son's question; it was the kind of question only a child could ask. "Oh, haha, well, Mikey," she giggled. "I guess your grandfather was a little like Skarloey; he was very wise and saw a lot of things in his life. He was a lot more harsh, though..."

"Oh, I wish I could have met him..." Michael couldn't help but be curious to know more about his grandfather...

"I wish you could have too, honey," his mother exhaled, "but sadly, that will never happen. Losing my father was hard too, but with your father's help, I was able to get over it and move on with my life once again. I kind of had to, too," she chuckled, "you hadn't quite come into our lives yet!" She quickly changed the subject. "But do you see what I mean? There's nothing wrong with feeling sad over losing Peanut. I understand it can be very hard for a kid like you to lose a pet. But life will go on, and there will be plenty of new things ahead of you in the future. You'll feel better in time, Mikey...I promise," she warmly beamed as she rubbed her son's furry head.

"I understand, Mom..." Michael nodded. He knew what his mother was trying to say. "I just wish I could see Peanut again...I mean...she's out there somewhere...someone took her, after all..."

"Well, you at least have the memories of playing with her," Melissa smiled. "You may not have very many, but they're yours to keep-forever."

"I know," Michael managed to crack a grin. He then wrapped his little arms around his mother for a hug. "Thank you for talking to me, Mommy...I love you..."

"I love you too, Mikey," Melissa whispered lovingly, embracing her little son as well. "And remember, if anything's wrong, your father and I will _always _be here to listen to you and help you if we can. You mean a lot to us, honey...we'll always be here if you need us."

"I'm glad I have you and Dad for parents," Michael continued to smile.

"We couldn't be any more proud to have you for a son," Melissa agreed. "Do you feel a little better now, honey?"

"A little," Michael admitted. "I still feel a little sad, though..." he sighed as a frown came across his face once again.

"Oh, I think _I _know something that might make you feel better, Mikey..." Melissa giggled, a mischievous look appearing in her wild blue eyes.

Michael had a hunch he knew what that meant. "W...what's that, Mom?" he asked, hesitantly.

Melissa promptly placed her paws on her little son's sides and began to tickle him gently. "Tickle time," Melissa giggled again as she began to tickle her son faster and faster, causing him to burst out laughing.

"Hehe, stop, stop! Stop it, Mommy!" Michael giggled wildly, squirming like crazy. "I don't like tickle time, Mommy...haha! Stop it!"

"You don't, huh?" Melissa smirked, knowing her son was lying to her. "You sure _look _like you enjoy it..."

"Okay, okay, Mommy! Haha! I do like it! Haha, please stop!" the young kit giggled frantically as his mother continued to tickle him.

"I'm gonna get your little tummy," Melissa's grin grew in size as her paws snaked down and began to tickle her son's stomach.

"Hahaa!" Michael giggled even louder. "No, _no_, Mommy! Not my tummy! Hahaha! Stop, stop! Hehe!"

Mother and son were soon interrupted, however, by the sound of a familiar voice from downstairs. "I'm back, honey!" echoed the voice of Ralph. "Where are you? Is Michael home?"

Melissa promptly ceased tickling her son. "Oh, I'm upstairs, sweetie! I was just up here talking with Michael! We'll be right down!"

"Okay!" Ralph called back.

"C'mon, Mikey," Melissa beamed at her son as she got up off his little bed. "Let's go see your father, alright? I still have some cleaning I need to tend to downstairs, maybe you guys can help me out?"

"Okay, Mom," Michael smiled as he followed his mother down the stairs to greet his father. His mother's words had really sunken into his young brain. He knew now that although he made a big mistake in not paying attention and losing Peanut, it wasn't something to dwell on forever, and in time, he'd surely feel a lot better. But still, he just wished he could see Peanut one more time...

He didn't realize that soon, he _would _see his missing puppy again...sooner than he could have realized. And he would find out just _who_ had taken her...

* * *

><p>The next day came, and it was now Saturday. The temperature was a little warmer today than it was yesterday, but the chill of winter could still be felt in the air...<p>

Today, Michael Raccoon found himself at Sneer Mansion for the day. His parents usually took Saturdays off from work...but not on this weekend. As such, they decided to leave him with Cedric and Sophia for the day, and as thus, he had spent most of the day playing with his friends, Cecil and Sylvia. It had been a while since Michael had last visited Sneer Mansion; he always liked staying with the Sneers...

The three young friends had asked Sophia if they could play outside by themselves, and she agreed. And that was how they had been playing a game of hide and seek together. Michael was "it", and he had already found Cecil. Cecil had tried to hide in a bush, but it had been to no avail; his ears stuck out and gave him away. Now Michael was trying hard to find Sylvia, too. But he wasn't having much luck in finding her...

"I've looked all over the place, but I can't find Sylvia anywhere," Michael shook his head. "Where could she be?"

"Search me, Mikey," Cecil shrugged. "Sylvia's _really _good at hiding. She always wins when I play with her!"

Then Cecil spotted a small, stubby pink tail poking out from behind a tree. He _knew _what that was. "Hey, Michael," he whispered. "Look over there..."

Michael glanced towards the tree Cecil pointed at, and sure enough, he could see Sylvia's tail just poking out from behind it. "Ah-ha!" the young kit called out. "I found you, Sylvia!"

"Hey, no fair!" Sylvia protested as she stepped out from behind the tree. "You _told _him where I was, Cecil. Mikey would have never found me if _you _didn't tell him!" she glared at her twin.

"Well, you should have done a better job of hiding, sis," Cecil innocently grinned.

"That's not playing fair..." Sylvia was cross, but she quickly put it behind her. "Today has been a lot of fun, hasn't it, Mikey?"

"It sure has!" Michael beamed cheerfully.

"It's nice to see you having fun again, Mikey," Cecil patted his friend on the back. "After what happened to Peanut last week, we were wondering if you were ever gonna be happy again!"

"I do feel a lot better," Michael smiled. He really did. The little talk that his mother had with him yesterday had really helped him; although it was his fault that Peanut had run away and had ended up getting snatched by someone unknown, he knew he couldn't dwell on it forever, and that life would go on.

"We're glad to see you feeling better," Sylvia smiled at her younger friend. "It wasn't quite the same at school when you were sad!"

"Yeah, it feels nice to have fun once again," Michael continued to fondly smile. "Okay, guys, we played hide and seek. Now what do you want to do?"

It was at that moment that Cecil happened to glance at his wristwatch. "Woah, look at the time! Almost 3:30. Your parents should be here any minute, shouldn't they?"

"Yeah, that's right," Michael nodded. "They told me when they dropped me off, they would come back after they got off work to pick me up and take me home," he informed his friends.

"Well, I guess that's all the fun we'll have for today," Sylvia sighed. "Maybe we should just wait until your parents show u-"

Sylvia didn't get to finish her sentence, because at that she was interrupted by a rather loud whining sound. "Uhhhhhhhhhh..."

"W-w-what was that?" Michael shivered, feeling rather spooked.

"I-I-I don't know," Cecil shuddered as well.

"Oh, don't be scared, you guys," Sylvia scoffed. "I'm sure it was nothin-"

Once again, Sylvia was interrupted by the strange sound. "Uhhhhhh..."

"I don't like the sound of it," Cecil groaned as his teeth began to chatter.

"It sounds like it's coming from...over there," Michael remarked as he pointed to a house not too far off in the distance.

"That's the Pigs' house," Sylvia replied. "You're right, Michael. It _does _sound like it's coming from their house."

"What could be making that noise?" Michael asked quizzically.

"I don't know," Cecil shrugged. "But the Pigs have been acting pretty weird this past week..."

"We've seen them sneaking things in and out of their house every day for the past week," Sylvia added. "It looks like they don't want anyone to know what they're up to."

"Papa thinks they're up to something," Cecil spoke again. "He doesn't know _what_, though...he said when he went to visit their house yesterday, nothing seemed to be wrong..."

"Well, what could be making that noise?" Michael was a genuinely nice and kind young kit, but he was also _very _curious. He reminded his mother a lot of herself when he was younger...if something intrigued him, he always wanted to know more about it. "Maybe we should go over to the Pigs' house and see what's going on...?"

"_No_, Mikey!" Sylvia protested. "Papa said we're not supposed to go near the Pigs' house...that's _their _private living quarters! He told us that if we went over there without permission, we'd get in a _lot _of trouble!"

"But I want to know what's making that noise," Michael stubbornly replied. "It's going to bother me all day until I find out."

"I think we should go check out, sis," Cecil tried to encourage his sister. "What could go wrong if we just go have a look? I'm sure Mama and Papa won't find out!"

"Well...okay," Sylvia relented, knowing she was going to be drawn into this whether she liked it or not. "But if we get in trouble because of this, I'm not speaking to you for a whole week..."

"C'mon, guys," Michael gestured to his friends. "Let's go check it out!"

Soon, the three young friends had reached the Pigs' house. It was a small cottage; not too big, but more than cozy enough to safely accommodate the pork trio.

The strange sound came once again. "Uhhhhhhhh...! Uhhhhhh..."

"Yeah, it's definitely coming from in there," Cecil remarked.

"Where are the Pigs, anyways?" Michael wondered.

"They have Saturdays off, remember?" Sylvia filled in her younger friend. "They're probably out doing something. Maybe they went hiking or something. I don't know, but I know they're not home right now..."

"Maybe you should take a peak in the window, Mikey!" Cecil encouraged his raccoon friend.

"Okay, I'll have a look and see if I can see anything..." Michael pressed his snout up to the window, which was just low enough to the ground for him to be able to peer through. The window was a bit hazy, so he quickly wiped the glass with his green shirt so he could have a better look.

Michael quickly recognized the room he was gazing into. "This must be their bedroom..." he said to himself. It looked about like you would expect; _quite _messy. Pizza boxes, soda cans, comic books, bits of newspaper, and other miscellaneous junk were strewn all about the pork trio's bedroom. Though they were supposed to help keep the Mansion clean, they _certainly _didn't do a very good job keeping their own home tidy...

"Wow, what a mess!" Michael exclaimed. Then his young eyes caught a glimpse of something in the corner, by Lloyd's bed. "Hey, I see something!"

"What is it, Mikey?" Cecil asked, wondering just what his friend might have seen.

"It looks like...a cage," Michael replied. "And it looks like there's a dog inside of it!"

"A dog?" Cecil brought his head to the window and gazed into the bedroom as well. "Huh, you're right, Mikey. There's a cage with a dog in it. When did the Pigs get a dog...?"

"Let me see," Sylvia spoke up as she brought her face to the window. Sure enough, she saw the dog in the cage...but she _immediately _recognized the dog upon getting a good look. "Mikey...you're not going to believe this..."

"Not going to believe what?" Michael asked.

"That dog in the cage...Mikey...that's _your _dog. That's Peanut!" Sylvia exclaimed.

"What?!" Michael took a closer look. Sure enough, Sylvia was right. There, in the cage...was Peanut, looking rather sad and lonely.

"_PEANUT!_" Michael exclaimed in a frenzied manner. He felt a combination of delight and horror at the same time. Delighted to be able to see Peanut again, especially since he thought he never would...but horrified, nonetheless; what on Earth were the Pigs doing with his puppy? "Why is she in there?!"

"I don't know," Cecil shrugged.

"I think the Pigs must have kidnapped your puppy, Mikey," Sylvia realized. "_That _must be why they've been behaving so strangely this past week. They don't want anyone to know they've got Peanut..."

"But _why _would they take Peanut?" Michael spluttered.

"I don't know why," Sylvia shrugged.

"What should we do, Sis?" Cecil turned to his twin for help.

"We should go find Mama and Papa and tell them about this," Sylvia answered her brother. "They'll be able to sort this out."

Sylvia was right; finding Cedric and Sophia and telling them about what he'd seen would have been the logical thing for Michael to do. But at the moment...Michael was so excited that common sense escaped him. He _had _to get Peanut out of there...right_ now__._

"I have to save my puppy!" Michael frantically shouted. He then noticed that the window to the Pigs' bedroom wasn't locked. "Hey, I think I can get through the window! Cecil! Can you help me get in there?"

"Why are you going in there, Mikey?" a confused Cecil replied.

"I have to get Peanut out of there, before the Pigs get back!" With that, Michael opened up the Pigs' bedroom window. "Help me get in there, please!"

"Michael, are you _crazy?!_" Sylvia gasped. "You can't go in there! You'll get in a lot of trouble if the Pigs come back and find you!"

"I don't care!" Michael retorted. "Peanut is counting on me to save her!"

"I'll help you, Mikey!" Cecil replied emphatically as he stooped down so Michael could climb onto his shoulders. With a little bit of a boost from Cecil, Michael was able to climb into the Pigs' bedroom.

"Alright, I'm in!" the little kit exclaimed. "Now I can save Peanut!"

"Be careful, Mikey!" Sylvia warned. "The Pigs could be back any minute!"

"I will!" Michael replied as he walked over to the cage in the corner. "Hi, Peanut. Do you remember me? It's me...Mikey! Your owner! I'm here to save you!"

Peanut had been looking down at the floor of her cage, but when she heard her little master's voice, she immediately glanced up at him as her stubby tail wiggled frantically back and forth. She had been muzzled by the pork trio so as to limit the amount of noise she could make, so she couldn't greet Michael with a kiss like she wanted to. But all the same, she felt excited to be reunited with her young owner.

"What have they been doing to you, Peanut?" Michael solemnly asked. "They haven't fed you very often, have they?"

Peanut whined once again. It was rather clear the Pigs hadn't fed her as much as they should have been...

"They keep you locked in this cage all the time...don't they?" Michael could tell the Pigs kept her locked up for hours and hours on end..."Don't worry, Peanut. You'll be out of here really soon, and then we can be together again!"

Peanut whined excitedly. But at that moment, the happy reunion between puppy and master was rudely interrupted.

"Michael! _Michael!_" came the frantic voice of Sylvia from outside. "The Pigs are coming! I see them off in the distance! They're coming back, and they'll be here any second!"

Michael was alarmed. "Oh _no!_" the little kit cried out. "NO! What am I going to do now? I don't have enough time to get back out of here! They'll find me if I do!"

"_Hide_, Michael! Don't let them find you!" Sylvia hollered out.

"What about you two?"

"We'll hide right here in the bushes, Mikey...Just find some place to hide!" Cecil called out.

Michael frantically looked around for a place to hide from the Pigs. However, he was unable to find any good hiding places. He felt sure he was going to be caught...

"Oh no, what do I do? What do I do?" Michael panicked. Then, he noticed Lloyd's bed..."Maybe I can hide under here..."

With that, Michael proceeded to dive underneath Lloyd's bed, nestling himself firmly under it. Michael was a small child, even for his age, so he was easily able to fit underneath the bed. It was rather cramped, seeing as there was more old junk stashed away beneath the bed, and there was quite a lot of dust gathered under there, but the little kit was able to peer out from underneath the bed.

Soon, he heard the Pigs' voices and saw their feet from beneath the bed. It was lucky the Pigs weren't looking down, for they would have seen his eyes peeking out at them...

"Hey," Boyd wondered aloud, "why is the window open? I don't remember leaving it open when we left for the Blue Spruce Cafe..."

"I must have forgotten to close it," Floyd shrugged.

"You _boob_!" Lloyd growled at his identical sibling. "Do you know what could have happened while we were gone? Someone could have snuck in and taken our future prize winner over here away! You ought to be more careful next time, Floyd..."

"I'm sorry..." Floyd meekly said as he quickly shut the window. Michael was now trapped in the cottage...with the Pigs and his puppy. He _hoped _they wouldn't discover him.

"Oh no!" Sylvia quietly whispered to her twin in the bushes outside. "The Pigs shut the window. I hope they didn't discover Michael...I don't know what they'll do if they find him..."

"What do we do now, Sis?" Cecil worriedly asked his sister.

"We need to go tell Mama orPapa about this..._now_," Sylvia urgently remarked. "Michael could be in a lot of trouble and we need to help him! Hopefully they can sort all this out..."

"...For once, I agree!" Cecil nodded his head. "Let's find Mama and Papa..." And with that, the little Sneers hurriedly ran off in search of their parents...

"I don't know how much longer we'll be able to hide her here," Floyd shook his head, glancing at Peanut's cage. "The Boss is already suspicious. He thinks we're up to something!"

"I know," Boyd agreed. "I remember we had to hide the cage in the closet when the Boss came over to visit us the other day. I don't know _how _he didn't discover her!"

"_They hid Peanut in the closet?!_" an aghast Michael thought to himself. "_They really **have **been treating her badly...I **have **to save_ _her...somehow!_"

"We were lucky that Champion here kept quiet the whole time," Lloyd chuckled. Michael quickly deduced that the Pigs called Peanut "Champion".

"I just wonder how much longer we can keep this a secret..." Floyd uttered nervously. Of the three siblings, Floyd was the _only _one who actually felt guilty over kidnapping Michael's puppy. He was _terrified _of what might happen were they to be discovered..."I mean, the kid's parents are really protective of him; if they find out, it won't be pretty..."

"They'll _never _find out," Lloyd chuckled confidently. "You wait. As soon as those posters Ralph and Melissa put up come down, people will forget all about the missing puppy. Then if we're discovered, nobody will know. We could always tell the Boss that we just found a stray and decided to keep her out of the kindness of our hearts. No one would suspect a thing!" he continued to chuckle.

"I don't know if that'll work out..." Floyd continued to be nervous.

"Sure it will!" Lloyd continued to laugh. "Just wait until next weekend, boys...then we'll be rolling in the big bucks! Haha!"

"What's next weekend?" Boyd wondered.

"You _really _don't remember?!" Lloyd exalted in surprise. "The Evergreen Dog Show is being held at Mr. Knox and Lady Baden-Baden's estate next weekend. We'll enter Champion here in the puppy class. She's a sure-fire winner! They'll give us the trophy and the money, and from there it'll be on to greener pastures!"

"Oh boy!" Boyd and Floyd exclaimed, with stars practically in their eyes. They couldn't wait to earn big money.

"_They kidnapped Peanut...to make money off her?_" Michael almost gasped from beneath the bed. "_That's so mean! They can't do that to her!_"

"Hey, d'you think I ought to let Champion out to run around a little bit?" Boyd asked his brother.

"Sure thing," Lloyd nodded. "She's got to get out for at least a few minutes a day!"

With that, Boyd let Peanut out of her cage to wander around their bedroom. Michael was happy to see Peanut out of her cage, but he still felt sad knowing the Pigs had captured his puppy and were planning to use her to make money.

But at that moment, Michael suddenly felt the urge to sneeze. The heavy amount of dust beneath Lloyd's bed was tickling his little nose and he knew he wouldn't be able to hold the oncoming sneeze back..."_NO!_" Michael mentally cried out. "_I can't sneeze...they'll find me! I_ _can't!_"

But it was too late. Michael wasn't able to hold back his sneeze. "Aaaaa...aaaaahh...aaaaaatttcccc-CHOOOO!"

Lloyd, Boyd, and Floyd all jumped up, started. "W-w-what was that?!" Floyd gasped.

"Somebody just sneezed!" Boyd exclaimed. "Who was it?!"

"It wasn't any of us..." Lloyd realized what was going on. "Boys, there's an _intruder_ in our house! Somebody snuck in while we were gone and they're hiding somewhere here in our bedroom!"

"So _that__'s _why the window was open..." Boyd realized. "I could have _sworn _it was closed when we left! I must not have locked it..."

"What are we gonna do now?" Floyd asked nervously.

"We're going to search this room until we find the intruder, boys!" Lloyd remarked in a determined voice. "They'll _wish _they hadn't broken into our house!" With that, the pork trio began to search their bedroom for the intruder.

"_Oh NO!_" Michael shivered from beneath the bed. "_They're going to find me **now...**" _And he was right. No sooner had he thought that, the bed skirt was lifted up. Michael found himself face to face with Lloyd Pig.

"_YOU!_" an angered Lloyd exclaimed. "_You _snuck into our house, you little scamp!"

"Well, well, well," Boyd glared at the little kit. "If it isn't little Michael Raccoon!"

"Uh..." Michael nervously searched for words. "Um...hi?"

"You have a _lot _of explaining to do, mister," Lloyd glared ominously at the kit. "Get out from under my bed and explain yourself!"

Michael did as Lloyd told him, standing before the pigs.

"What are you doing in our house?!" Floyd interrogated him.

"I heard a strange noise coming from over here, and me and Cecil and Sylvia went to see what it was..." Michael tried his best to explain. "Cecil helped me get in here...and...and..."

"Didn't the Boss tell you that you're _not _supposed to sneak around?" Boyd yelled at him. "Didn't your _parents _teach you that?"

"You _know _you're not supposed to come near our house," Lloyd added.

"You three _stole _my puppy!" Michael angrily shot back at them.

"Yes," Floyd answered. "We found her by the lake last weekend. We decided we would take her in and keep her for ourselves."

"That's not right!" Michael hollered at them. "I want Peanut back! Give her back to me!"

"Too bad, kid," Lloyd scoffed. "You're not gonna get her back. Peanut is _our _dog now."

"And her name's not Peanut anymore," Boyd answered. "It's Champion. She's going to make us a lot of money, you see!"

"You three are so _mean!_" Michael continued to protest. "Peanut isn't a show dog! She's my pet! Please give her back!"

"You should have thought about that before you lost her," Lloyd rudely replied. "You shouldn't have been so careless..."

"Besides, it serves you right," Boyd chimed in. "You _always _tell the Boss whenever you see us doing something we shouldn't be doing! We've gotten in _enough_ trouble thanks to you!"

"Nobody likes a tattle-tale," Floyd added.

"This will teach you a lesson," Lloyd finished. "To not be so careless, and to not be so _nosy__!_"

"But that's not fair..." Michael pleaded. "How can you three be so mean? I've been sad this whole week...I just want Peanut back..."

"Well, you can forget about that," Lloyd growled. "Now _get _out of here, kid. Or we'll tell the Boss and your parents that you were sneaking around our house when you weren't supposed to."

"And you're _sure _to get punished for that," Boyd sneered.

"Now beat it, kid!" Floyd pointed out towards the front door of their cottage.

Michael sighed. He couldn't believe the Pigs could be so mean and rude to him, and he couldn't believe they wouldn't let him have his puppy back. Suddenly, an idea came to him..

"Okay," Michael sighed. Suddenly..."Uhhhhhhhh!" Peanut let out a loud whine as Michael stooped down and scooped her up in his arms. She was a pretty heavy puppy, but not too heavy for Michael to be unable to carry. "But not without Peanut!" Michael took off and raced out the front door with the little bulldog perched in his arms...before the Pigs had any time to react.

"_HEY!_" Boyd burst out. "What the-?"

"He's running off with our meal ticket!" Floyd gasped as Michael ran off.

"Now _that _was a big mistake," Lloyd growled. He was determined to _not _let Michael get away with this..."That little hellion is going to _wish _he didn't pull something like that! C'mon, boys! After him! Let's get Champion back!"

Immediately, the pork trio ran out of their cottage after the young kit...

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, a certain prominent raccoon couple was approaching the grounds of Sneer Mansion...<p>

Ralph and Melissa Raccoon had just recently gotten off work, and had finished closing up the _Standard_'s office for the day. Now they were walking towards Sneer Mansion so they could pick up their little son and bring him home with them. As they approached the mansion paw in paw, the two were busy discussing their son's mood...

"I wonder how Michael did today with the Sneers?" Ralph wondered.

"I think he probably had a good day," Melissa smiled at her husband.

"Well, I hope so," Ralph replied. "He _was _in a good mood this morning when we dropped him off..."

"I'm sure he had a good time with his little friends Cecil and Sylvia," Melissa remarked hopefully.

"Here's hoping," Ralph agreed. "You know, honey, I think that little talk you had with him yesterday really helped him out. I was glad to see him feeling a lot better yesterday when I came home from Bert and Maxie's..."

"Oh, I know," his wife beamed. "It's been a while since I've seen him smile; I was glad that I could help him out a little and see him smile again."

"I think he had fun at the restaurant last night, too," Ralph added. The previous night, Ralph decided to take his wife and his son out to dinner for the evening at his brother George's restaurant. He thought it was a nice idea to have a nice evening out with his lovely woman and their sweet little son, and he hoped that maybe time out with his parents would lift Michael's spirits. It seemed to have helped some, for Michael had definitely seemed to have a good time out with his parents..."I know it's been really hard for him losing Peanut, but I think in a while, he'll be back to his old self."

"That's what I'm hoping, too," Melissa winked at her hubby. "I don't like seeing him sad like that..." It was at that moment that the two arrived at Sneer Mansion. "Well, here we are, Ralph. Let's go in and say hello to Cedric and Sophia, shall we?"

"Okay, honey," Ralph smiled as they headed towards the front door. But they were soon interrupted by a sudden commotion...

"What on Earth...?" Ralph remarked, surprised to hear such a clatter.

"What's going on...?" a confused Melissa wondered. They didn't have to wait long to see what was causing all the commotion...

They saw their little kit running past them at a rapid rate, obviously frantic and in a hurry. In his arms was a young bulldog puppy...As Michael ran past, Ralph and Melissa saw the Pigs chasing after him as fast as they could go. They were trying their hardest to keep up with him, but they weren't having any luck; Michael wasn't the most athletic child, but even so, he was still able to outrun with relative ease.

"Get back here with our Champion, you little **_twerp!_**_" _Lloyd angrily shouted, shaking his hand at Michael. "You can't outrun us forever!"

"I won't do that!" Michael cried out as he ran off. "I won't let you have her!"

Ralph and Melissa, needless to say, were _very _confused. They weren't sure what to make of what they had just seen.

"What on _Earth _was that, Ralph?!" an exasperated Melissa commented.

"I don't know, honey," Ralph shook his head. "How did Michael get himself in trouble with the Pigs...?"

"I can only wonder..." Melissa remarked. Then, she realized what her son had been carrying..."Ralph...was that...Was that _Peanut _in his arms?"

"I...I think so..." Ralph realized as well. "But...Peanut...was missing...How does he have her?!"

"And what do the Pigs want with her...?" Melissa was just as baffled as her hubby.

At that moment, Michael suddenly lost his footing and tripped. He promptly dropped Peanut, who fell to the ground with a thud. The little bulldog was stunned for a moment, but she soon gathered her senses. She was _quite _frightened by what was going on and tried to run away. But the Pigs, who had been hot on Michael's heels, quickly caught her and Lloyd scooped her up in his arms.

"Gotcha!" he laughed. "You thought you could get away with her, didn't you?!" he snarled at Michael. "Well, you'll never get her back _now!_"

"We got her! We got her!" Boyd cheered triumphantly.

"_NO!_" Michael cried, realizing he had failed in his desperate attempt to save his puppy. "N-no..._NO!_"

"C'mon, boys!" Lloyd called to his brothers. "Let's get her back to the cottage before the Boss finds out!"

"**_What in the world is going on here?!_**_"_ Melissa shouted out.

It was at that very moment that Cedric stepped out of the front door of his mansion. His twins had managed to find him and told him what was going on; that Michael was in trouble and needed help. He told his kids to stay put while he handled things, and so, here he was. Needless to say, the aardvark was _also _baffled by what he saw.

"What is the meaning of all _this _nonsense?!" Cedric shouted.

Needless to say, the Pigs heard Ralph, Melissa, and Cedric...

"Uh-oh..." Boyd murmured. They _knew _they were about to be in a _whole _heap of trouble. "Guys...we've been busted..." he whispered.

Lloyd was panicking. "U-uh...H-hi, Boss!" he nervously laughed.

"Hello," Cedric glared at the three. "Now, Cecil and Sylvia have told me you three have been the cause of a great deal of trouble for Michael..."

"Yes," Ralph added, stepping towards the Pigs. "What are _you _three doing with our son's dog?"

"Mommy! Daddy!" Michael cried out as he got to his feet. "Uncle Cedric! The Pigs _stole _Peanut!"

"Well! Do you three have an explanation for all this?" Cedric continued to glare at them.

"Uh, heheh...Well, Boss," Lloyd nervously began. "You see, this is all a big misunderstanding. This isn't Peanut, sir..."

"Yeah!" Boyd piped up, coming to his brother's aid. "This is a stray we found the other day! We didn't tell you about because we didn't know if you would be okay with us keeping a dog...heheh!"

"And Michael just tried to steal her from us!" Floyd added. "That wasn't right of him, was it...Boss?"

"That's no stray..." Melissa growled, a large frown appearing on her face. "I would recognize _this _dog anywhere..."

"I can tell you three are trying to play truant," Cedric shook his head. "It's not going to work, you know. You might as well come clean..."

"I'm telling you, Boss! This _is _a stray!" Lloyd croaked out, sweat streaming down his face as his body quivered.

"They're lying, Uncle Cedric! They stole Peanut!"

Floyd was feeling terribly guilty as his conscience had gotten to him. He was the only one of the three who felt bad about kidnapping a young child's pet, and he couldn't hold his guilt in any longer. "ALRIGHT, BOSS! I ADMIT IT!" Floyd burst out into tears. "WE DID IT! WE KIDNAPPED PEANUT!"

"FLOYD!" Lloyd gasped. "How can you-"

But Ralph interrupted them. "You _kidnapped _my son's pet?!" To say he and Melissa were furious would be an _understatement_. It took every ounce of fiber in Ralph's being to prevent himself from strangling the pork trio right on the spot. He was well aware they had done many dim-witted and ill-advised things before, but he could _hardly _believe they could do something _this _awful._  
><em>

"Y-yes!" Floyd spluttered between his tears.

"How could you _do _such a thing?!" Melissa fumed. "How could you kidnap a little boy's pet?"

"We took her because we wanted to make money off of her..." Boyd admitted. He figured he might as well tell the truth.

"We were going to enter her in the Evergreen Dog Show and enter her in the puppy class in the hopes that she might win," Floyd continued to cry, feeling quite remorseful for what he had done. "We were hoping maybe we could hit the big time with her..."

"Have you three lost your minds?" an agitated Ralph hissed at them. "Lady Baden-Baden doesn't give out any prize money at the dog show!"

"She...she doesn't?!" Lloyd gasped. He could have sworn she did...Had he _really _been that ignorant?

"No, you three," Cedric shook his head again, disappointed in the three of them. "She _used _to back when we still had Snag, but she stopped giving out cash prizes at the dog show years ago. You three wouldn't have won anything if you'd entered Peanut..."

"Oh..." Lloyd gasped as he slapped himself in the forehead. He had forgotten all about that...

"Most dog shows don't give money to the winning dog owners, anyways," Melissa scowled. "I know Westminster doesn't...There's no way you would have made big bucks off of Peanut. Besides, if you had just given Peanut back when you found her, we would have probably given you a reward for doing so. You could have gotten some money just for doing the right thing."

"Oh my goodness..." Lloyd realized. "Wow...How...How could I have been such an _idiot__?!_"

"Did you three really think you could get away with this?" Cedric continued to glare ominously at his employees, as he took Peanut away from them.

"We did, Boss..." Boyd cried out. By now he and Lloyd were crying too, but not because they felt guilty; rather, it was because they were ashamed that they'd been busted..."We knew you were suspicious of our behavior..."

"So when you paid us a visit the other day, we hid her in the closet..." Lloyd finished.

"You _hid _Peanut in your closet?!" Ralph could not believe what he was hearing.

"Yes," Lloyd nodded.

"You three know better than to treat a dog like _that!_" Cedric shook his head yet again.

"I don't understand how you three thought you were going to pull this off," Melissa continued scowling at the pork trio. "Peanut hasn't even had all her shots and vaccinations yet. What were you going to do about those?"

"We never even thought of that..." Boyd sadly admitted. "We didn't even think our plan through that well..."

"Michael, can you explain what all...that was? Why were the Pigs chasing after you?" Melissa turned to her son. She was trying her best to keep her cool (despite the fact that she was clearly ticked off), and she wanted to know what had been the cause of all that commotion.

"Okay, Mommy..." Michael sighed. "Cecil, Sylvia and I heard a strange noise coming from the Pigs' house. I was curious, so we went over to see what it was. And we saw Peanut was in there."

"Then what happened?" Ralph asked his son.

"Cecil helped me crawl through the window. Then the Pigs came in and I hid under the bed..."

"Why did you sneak into the Pigs' house, Michael?" Cedric asked him._  
><em>

"I wasn't thinking..." Michael sighed. "I just couldn't stand seeing Peanut locked in that cage like that...she looked so lonely and sad..."

"You should have gone and told me what you'd seen," Cedric explained to the young raccoon. "You _know _I would have been glad to sort all this out..."

"I know that now..." Michael sighed again as he turned to his parents. "I hope you're not mad at me..."

"No, son," Ralph said. "We're not mad at you; we're mad at the Pigs for snatching Peanut," he explained.

"But you shouldn't be sneaking around like that, honey," Melissa warned the little kit. "There's nothing wrong with being a little curious, but it _has _gotten you into trouble before...Promise you won't do anything like that again?"

"Okay, Mommy...I promise," Michael cracked a smile. "I just wanted Peanut back...that's all..."

"You _will _get her back, don't worry," Cedric smiled at him.

"Can you tell us what happened next, honey?" Melissa tried to encourage her son.

"Well, I hid under the bed when Cecil and Sylvia told me the Pigs were coming. But I sneezed and they found me..." Michael explained. "I asked them to give her back, but they were mean to me..."

"Mean to you?" Melissa asked sympathetically. "How were they mean to you?"

"They said that Peanut belonged to them now and that I deserved this for getting them in trouble..." Michael solemnly answered her.

"Is that true?" Melissa glared at the Pigs again. "You said my son _deserved _this?"

Lloyd wiped his eyes. "Y-yes," he hesitantly answered.

"Your son has told our Boss on us when he's seen us doing things wrong," Floyd explained as he calmed down.

"We thought it would serve him right for tattling on us..." Boyd finished.

"I can't _believe _you three," a disgusted Ralph snorted at them. "Michael is just a _child_. He's only seven! How could you say such horrible things to him?""

"I understand why you would be upset at him," Melissa added. "But that's _no _excuse to abduct a child's pet and then try to keep it from him. He's only a little boy. He doesn't deserve that!"

"You three would _never_ get in trouble if you just did as you were told," Cedric glared at them as well.

"We know..." Floyd hung his head down.

"To be honest..." Lloyd admitted, "we didn't think anyone would miss Peanut that much."

Ralph and Melissa were astonished. "You _thought _no one would _miss _her?!" Ralph spluttered.

"My son has been miserable this whole past week and my husband and I have been trying our best to cheer him up and make him feel better. How's _that _for nobody missing Peanut?!" Melissa snapped at them.

"What _you _three did was disgraceful," scolded Ralph. "Do you three even _have _hearts?!"

"We're sorry...we're sorry..." Floyd moaned. He _really _did feel guilty about what he had done and wished he could make up for it somehow. But Ralph and Melissa didn't want to hear any of it right now.

"I hope someday you three will gain some common sense," Ralph huffed.

"I think we've heard enough," Melissa finished. "I think we should take Michael home while you deal with these triple terrors," she spoke to Cedric.

"Uncle Cedric?" Michael turned to the wealthy aardvark. "Can I please have Peanut back?"

"Of course," Cedric smiled. He took off the muzzle the Pigs had put over Peanut's face, and then handed the little bulldog to Michael. "Here you go, Michael! I bet you're happy to have her back, aren't you?"

"Oh, I am, I am, Uncle Cedric!" Michael grinned. "Peanut has been through a lot this past week; I think she'll be happy to go home again!"

"We'll see you later, Cedric," Ralph said to his friend. "I hope you can straighten these three out..."

"We'll see, Ralph! You and Melissa take care!" he waved to the raccoon family as they headed off.

"Goodbye, Cedric," Melissa waved back. "After all this, I think we'll _all _be glad to go home!"

"Haha, I'm sure of it!" Cedric chuckled. "I will see you around!" With that, he turned his attention back to the Pigs...

"I know you're going to punish us now, Boss..." Lloyd sighed, dreading to hear what his boss would say to him.

"Yes, I am, you three," Cedric frowned at them. "You three _really _should have known better than to try pulling something like this. It never ceases to amaze me how much trouble the three of you can find sometimes..."

"Are we going to be _fired_, Boss?" Boyd asked nervously.

"Are we gonna go to jail?!" Floyd squeaked.

"No," Cedric chuckled. "I know the three of you would have a hard time finding another job...plus I don't know if you could handle prison," he shook his head. He tried his best to think of a suitable punishment for them, and soon, it came to him..."Ah, I know! You three wanted to earn extra money, didn't you?" the aardvark queried the pork trio.

"Yes..." Lloyd nodded. "That's why we snatched Peanut..."

"Well, I'll give you your extra money," Cedric chuckled.

"Really, Boss?!" Boyd gasped.

"You're going to pay us _more _money?! After what we did?"

"I will, but only one one condition..." Cedric smirked. "Do you remember how I told you earlier this week that Miss McKenna was looking for three volunteers to help her out at the Evergreen Animal Shelter?"

"Yes, you did," Lloyd replied. "You showed us that in the _Standard_..."

"Well," Cedric smiled. "I think I found three good volunteers! I'll pay you extra, but only if you help out at the animal shelter every Saturday for the next six months. I hope _that _will teach you to have respect for pets and other animals..."

Lloyd groaned. "The animal shelter? But...but that place is probably filthy!" he protested.

"There'll be so much dog waste to clean up," Boyd shrieked. "We can't do _that_!"

"But it'll be for a good cause!" Floyd tried to look on the bright sight of things.

"You _hush_!" Lloyd growled. Those three would probably never fully mature...

* * *

><p>It was later that evening. It had been a very long day for the raccoon family and for Peanut as well. They certainly couldn't wait until tomorrow came along...Things had wound down at the Raccoondominum, and now Ralph and Melissa were putting their little kit to bed together.<p>

"Michael, you're _very _lucky you got Peanut back again, you know," Melissa smiled at her son as she tucked him into bed.

"I know, Mommy!" Michael smiled. "I thought I was never going to see her again..."

"I still can't believe the Pigs snatched her," Ralph growled as he shook his head. "I shouldn't be surprised seeing all the things they've done over the years, but I just can't believe it."

"I can't believe they'd do something so mean either, Daddy..." Michael agreed. "I wonder what Uncle Cedric did to them?"

"Oh, Cedric called me earlier this evening," Ralph explained, "he said that they were going to work at the animal shelter on Saturdays for the next six months. He said he hoped it would teach them to be nicer to animals..."

"Do you think the Pigs will learn their lesson, Mommy?" the little kit hopefully asked his mother.

"With them, who knows?" Melissa shrugged. "I would like to hope so, but knowing them, I wouldn't be surprised if they learned _nothing _from the experience..." She quickly decided to change the subject. "I just hope poor Peanut will be okay after what she went through for the past week...it had to be _really _stressful for her..."_  
><em>

"I think she'll be alright, honey," Ralph flashed a smile at his wife. "She seemed to be just fine when we brought her back home. Remember? She and Michael were having fun playing together this afternoon."

"Yeah, Mommy!" Michael chirped happily. "Peanut will be okay. I know she will!" It was at that moment that Peanut came into the kit's bedroom and leaped up onto his bed. Next thing Michael knew, the little bulldog began to lick his face, making him giggle. "Hehehe, stop it! Stop it!" Peanut proceeded to lie down next to her young master as he scratched her behind her ears. "I think she'll be fine, Mom..."

"Well, I sure _hope _she will..." Melissa soon changed the subject again. "Now Michael, I know you're glad you got Peanut back, but I hope you _don't _forget those things I told you yesterday..."

"That everyone makes mistakes and it's okay to feel upset when something bad happens?" her son asked.

"Yes," his mother nodded. "Those are still words I would like you to keep in mind, and I hope you won't forget them..."

"Don't worry, Mommy," Michael flashed a grin at his mother. "I won't forget! Those words did make me feel better!" he chuckled. Those had been good lessons his mother had taught him.

"And like we said, if something is wrong, I can understand you wanting to solve things on your own, but sometimes it's better to tell an adult and have them help you," Ralph explained to his son. "You should have gone and told Cedric about what you saw in the Pigs' cottage rather than sneaking in and trying to take her back on your own."

"There's nothing wrong with being curious, Mikey," Melissa added, "but there is a _big _difference between being just a little curious and sneaking into someone's house."

"As we said earlier, we won't seriously punish you this time due to the circumstances. You can expect to do more chores around the house next week, but we won't punish you any more than that. But if something like this should happen again, I guarantee we _will _not be so nice..." Ralph warned his son. Michael couldn't help but gulp a little hearing those words. "Do you understand me, son?"

"I understand," Michael nodded. "I promise I won't do anything like that again, Daddy..."

"That's good," Ralph smiled as he patted his son's head. "You're young, and you do make mistakes, but I'm sure you'll learn from them as you grow older." Ralph then turned his attention to the now sleeping Peanut. "Now, son, we know you are glad to have Peanut back again, and we're happy to see her home again. But you have to _promise _us that you'll do a better job of looking after her and being more attentive," he stated firmly. "Michael, if you can't take care of Peanut, I'm afraid we will probably have to give her up..."

Michael didn't want _that _to happen. "Don't worry, Dad! I promise I will do better...I promise!" he beamed. It was at that moment the little kit let out a huge yawn.

"Good night, my precious little Mikey," Melissa smiled at her son as she leaned in to kiss his little cheek. "We know you've had a long day today, but I'm happy to see that you were able to get Peanut back. I love you..."

"I love you too, Mommy," Michael beamed as he outstretched his small arms for a hug. "I'm so glad she's home again..."

"Night, son," Ralph smiled as well as he leaned down and tussled with his son's hair. "Remember what your mother and I said, alright? And remember, we'll always love you, no matter what happens."

"I will, Daddy!" Michael exclaimed as he proceeded to give his father a hug as well. "I'm glad I have you and Mommy..."

"And we're glad we have you too, sweetie," Melissa gave her son a tender grin as she and Ralph headed for the door. "Good night, my little one..."

"Pleasant dreams, little guy," Ralph warmly remarked.

"Good night, Mommy and Daddy," Michael whispered softly as he laid back and closed his eyes as he continued to scratch the sleeping bulldog puppy behind her ears, thinking of all the things the two of them might experience together in the years to come...

As Ralph and Melissa headed out of their son's bedroom, Melissa lingered for a few moments before she left, looking on as her son drifted off to dreamland. "_How sweet,_" she thought to herself, as she couldn't help but smile fondly seeing her child happily scratching his puppy behind her ears. Little moments like these were why she treasured being a mother so dearly...Melissa slowly closed the door to Michael's bedroom and then joined her husband.

"I hope this will be a good learning experience for Michael, sweetie," Melissa smiled as the couple slowly made their way down the hallway, heading for the stairs. "Maybe he'll be more responsible than ever before."

"I hope so, I would _hate _to have to give Peanut away after she went through all that because he can't take care of her," Ralph remarked. "Who knows? Perhaps our son will have many good memories with her ahead of him..."

"I'm sure he will, dear," Melissa beamed as she draped her arm around her husband. "I hope they'll have many good years together to come..."

Ralph and Melissa would be proven right. Over the years, Michael and Peanut would closely bond and have many happy years together ahead of them...

But most importantly, Peanut never ran away again...

**THE END**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** Wow, what a long one-off story! It took me three chapters and around 40,000 words, but finally, this one-off has come to a close. Despite making a big mistake in not being attentive and allowing Peanut to run away, Michael has been reunited with his lost puppy, and the two of them are destined to be friends for many years to come. A few notes...

We meet two more of Michael's little friends in this chapter...Roy Payne and Chester Marmor. Roy is a very superstitious young child (as you've seen) who has a tendency to believe just about everything he hears; I think he's going to be a lot like dear ol' Bert Raccoon. I got the idea for his fear of "queen snakes" from the Peanuts comic strip and TV specials, where the character of Linus Van Pelt mentions from time to time his fear of these animals (fun fact: I actually named this chapter after the Peanuts movie _Snoopy Come Home!_)...As for Chester, he's a "gentle giant" type of character; he looks tough and intimidating, but is really quite friendly, sweet-natured and kind-hearted...though as you see, he's not afraid of standing up for himself. I also thought making him an albino would make him stand out from all the other raccoons on the show and in my stories...

I was a bit worried I may have made the Pigs out of character in this chapter, seeing how rude they are to Michael in telling him he doesn't deserve to have Peanut back and all...but then I remembered the episode "Endless Summer", where the Pigs were jealous of Bentley for all the praise he was receiving from Cyril Sneer, and proceeded to sabotage him by messing with his programming and screwing everything up, causing him to get fired. They acted like royal jackasses towards Bentley in that episode, so I don't feel it's entirely out of character for them to act in such a way to his much younger cousin, especially if they feel they can get away with it...As for the punishment Cedric gives them, I thought it felt like the kind of punishment they might receive for doing such a thing on the show...

Well, anyways, that was "Puppy Problems"! Now it's time to get back on track with Melissa's story, "Growing Up!"...look out for the next chapter of it in the near future!


End file.
